SINN FEIN appears on course for major gains across Ireland according to the first exit poll to come out of Ireland’s general election.
According to the Ipsos MRBI exit poll, the republican party is set to win 22.3% of the overall vote, just behind Leo Varadkar’s ruling Fine Gael party on 22.4%.
While the main opposition party, Fianna Fáil, sits slightly further back on 22.2%, if proven true these results could spell the end of Mr Varadkar’s tme as Taoiseach.
They also point to a potential hung parliament, with the unprecedented three-way tie potentially posing problems should any of the parties look to form a coalition with the necessary parliamentary majority.
Sinn Féin look set to be the biggest winners on the night, with their 22.3% share of the vote up significantly on the 13.8% recorded in the 2016 general election.
The surge in popularity has been attributed to a general unease among voters at soaring living costs, ongoing hospital shortages and Ireland’s homelessness crisis.
A nun casts her vote at Nano Nagle Hall in Ireland’s national election on February 8, 2020 in Cork, Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Environmental issues also appear to have been a hot topic with the exit poll indicating a significant jump for the Green party, moving from 2.7% of the vote in 2016 to 7.9% this time around.
Despite their likely success, the fact Sinn Féin fielded fewer candidates than the other main parties means their increased vote share will not translate into a surge in seats.
As a result, they are likely to still trail both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the 33rd Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament.
Counting of votes is set to begin on Sunday, with full results due to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.
In the event that no party wins an outright majority, leaders will be given the opportunity to negotiate coalitions.
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