Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin expressed confidence in his party's path back to government, hinting at a potential coalition with Fine Gael. Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald dismissed this, stating her party will actively pursue government entry and believes the two-party system is outdated. Count centers began sorting ballots on Saturday morning.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has expressed confidence in his party's "very clear route back to government", hinting at another potential coalition with Simon Harris' Fine Gael and a smaller party.
Early unofficial tallies and an exit poll on Friday evening suggested a close race between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin for power. As of Saturday, it seemed likely that Fianna Fáil would secure the most seats with 45, followed by Sinn Féin with 40 and Fine Gael with 39. Speaking in Cork, Fianna Fáil leader Mr Martin expressed confidence that his party would "certainly exceed" the exit poll prediction of 19.5%. He stated: "There is a very clear route back to Government, although it is not fully determined." He added that it was too early to predict the exact form or composition of the next government.
She concluded by saying: "What we can say is that Sinn Féin, again, has a very strong mandate from the people. What we can say is that other parties of the left, others that like us, want change, similarly, have secured a strong mandate. My first port of call, my first conversations, will be with those other parties who, along with us, argued for change."
On the other hand, Mr Harris expressed his gratitude to the public for the mandate they had given him and his party for the future. He said: "Anybody who makes any suggestion about who is going to be the largest party or the construct of the next government, they're a braver person than I am". Filmmaker Jim Sheridan, spotted filming with Hutch in Dublin earlier this week, expressed his surprise at the polling results to reporters. "I just think anger at their position," he commented.
FIANNA FÁIL SÍN FÉIN FINE GAEAL IRISH ELECTION COALITION POLITICAL COALITION
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