The resumption of counting in local elections is under way, with hundreds of council seats around the nation yet to be claimed. Alongside this, the European election counts, in which 14 seats contested in Dublin, South Ireland and Midlands-North-West constituencies are due to start today. The count is expected to be prolonged given that each area lists over 20 candidates on the ballot.
To date, the majority of council seats announced have predominately been filled by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and independent candidates. Independent candidate, Thomas Welby, emerged as the elected representative from Connemara North, part of the Galway County Council, as the first successful candidate on Saturday.
Following his victory, the Connemara North constituency concluded its election. Séamus Walsh, an independent candidate who left Fianna Fáil over a dispute about refugee housing, was elected on the second count. Eileen Mannion (Fine Gael) and Gerry King (Fianna Fáil) were also deemed winners on the fourth count.
Leitrim County Council was the first council to announce its full results. Out of the 18 seats, Fianna Fáil held six, making it the dominant party. Sinn Féin and independent candidates gained, while Fine Gael lost some seats with only three members elected.
On Sunday morning, the counting for over 700 remaining seats from the 949 during Saturday’s count began. Although most counts began in various centres around the country on Saturday, some local authorities are yet to announce any results as of Sunday.
Despite anticipating an improvement compared to the 2019 local election results, Sinn Féin is not optimistic about a sweeping victory similar to the one in the 2020 general election. The first success for Sinn Féin in the current election came with Robert Brosnan meeting the quota on the fourth count in Corca Dhuibhne, Co Kerry.
While numerous party hopefuls appear to be battling to meet the anticipated tallies and preliminary results on the ballots, it’s essential not to deem the situation as particularly negative for a party with ambitions to take the helm of the next government.
The Sinn Féin representative, David Cullinane, underscored that the party is not satisfied with its current standing, especially considering that it received a 24.5 per cent first preference vote in the 2020 general election and had been regularly exceeding 30 per cent in the polls prior to a recent dip. He strongly cautioned against downplaying the party’s resilience, suggesting that some of the council seat outcomes could depend on the complexity of the transfer votes.
Cullinane acknowledged it was not a stellar performance for Sinn Féin, refusing to mask their disappointment. He stressed there were no signs of overconfidence and accepted that they had a bad day. He said they would have to uncover the reasons behind the failure to meet their electoral aspirations.
The current coalition parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, have managed rather well in maintaining their vote share. They potentially stand to fight for the majority in local government.
Over the weekend, Taoiseach Simon Harris conveyed an encouraging tone in a voice note to a Fine Gael WhatsApp group. He praised the party’s representatives in both urban and rural areas and attributed their success to grassroots efforts. As the leader and Taoiseach, he expressed the honour he felt in serving his country.
The Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, observed his party performing better than the predictions made by numerous pollsters. Regardless of the election outcomes, he remained committed to his coalition partners and insisted on avoiding an autumn general election. He envisions the election likely be held around next February or March. Martin forecasted that his party would secure a European seat in the Midlands-North-West region, where TD Barry Cowen is among their candidates.
The Green Party exceeded predictions at the local elections, with Hazel Chu triumphantly securing her position in Dublin City Council’s Pembroke ward on the first count. Despite a dip in the party’s vote share in the capital, many previous incumbents held a sizable surplus, indicating a likely return.
Labour insiders expressed positivity about the party’s display in locations such as Drogheda, Wexford and Cork.
The first couple of seats in Dublin City Council were allotted to Fine Gael and the Green Party. James Geoghegan of Fine Gael was the first preference in Pembroke and alongside Ms. Chu, won on the first count. Fine Gael’s Emma Blain and Labour’s Dermot Lacey achieved victory in Pembroke during the second count.
In Kildare and Dublin, the Social Democrats exhibited strong performance, especially in the northside, where they are poised to secure dual seats in Artane-Whitehall.
Contentious figures in Artane-Whitehall include anti-immigration candidate Kevin Coyle as well as far-right candidates Gavin Pepper from Ballymun-Finglas and Malachy Steenson from North Inner City.
Finance Minister Michael McGrath declared, from Cork City Hall, that the far-right failed to make a ‘massive breakthrough’, despite immigration being a fervently raised issue during election campaigning, according to Saturday evening’s results and tallies. The Fianna Fáil TD declared this as positive news.
In the European Parliament elections, the initial tallies generally aligned with recent surveys.
In South Ireland, Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelleher and Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly are believed to have performed well, with Kathleen Funchion from Sinn Féin and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú from Fianna Fáil also likely to contend.
In Dublin, Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews received a significant number of first preferences, and Regina Doherty from Fine Gael stands a chance of securing a seat.
In the Midlands-North-West area, it’s reported that Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen, Fine Gael’s Nina Carberry and Maria Walsh, Ciaran Mullooly, previous Midlands correspondent for RTÉ, and independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan are all faring favourably. Concurrently, in Limerick City’s mayoral race, John Moran, an independent candidate, appears to be ahead in both city and county regions, with fellow independent Helen O’Donnell in close pursuit.