ALL FIVE SEATS in the Midlands-North West have been filled after counting went into its sixth day.

The following candidates have been elected:

Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan – Independent

Barry Cowen – Fianna Fáil

Maria Walsh – Fine Gael

Nina Carberry – Fine Gael

Ciaran Mullooly – Independent Ireland

Sinn Féin’s Michelle Gildernew was eliminated on the last count, despite telling reporters on Tuesday that she was resigning to the idea of not winning a seat.

Though Sinn Féin won a seat in Ireland South this evening, the party have not been able to retain their seat in Midlands-North West after incumbent Chris McManus was eliminated yesterday.

Flanagan was re-elected and became the first candidate to take a seat in the constituency as he surpassed the 113,325-vote quota, after topping the poll on the first count.

Fine Gael were tipped to retain two seats in the constituency while Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen is likely to take the fourth, a first for the party since the new boundaries were changed 2014.

Independent Ireland’s Ciaran Mullooly and Sinn Féin’s Michelle Gildernew were battling for the fifth seat.

Mullooly, a former RTÉ regional correspondent, benefitted the most from Aontú’s Peader Tóibín’s transfers, picking up 10,093 votes, after the Meath East TD was eliminated earlier today.

This widened the gap between himself and Gildernew, who on Tuesday said she was “resigned” to not winning a seat. “It’s not over until the last count has been completed,” she told reporters.

The surplus of Flanagan’s 118,754 votes will be distributed to the remaining candidates.

Fianna Fáil’s Lisa Chambers has been eliminated, as the distribution of Flanagan’s surplus will not be enough for the Senator to surpass Gildernew.

Keep up to date with the latest results on The Journal’s count centre, here.

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