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TAOISEACH SIMON HARRIS has said that he is “cautiously optimistic” about incoming general election results, as he said there was no surge in support for Sinn Féin.
Speaking to reporters in Wicklow, where he was re-elected tonight, the Fine Gael leader said there has not “been a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it”.
“I think that’s what we’ve seen, a very close and very competitive election,” Harris added.
Harris picked up close to 30% of first preference votes, easily surpassing the quota with 16,869 votes in the first count.
Exit polls had both Sinn Féin and Fine Gael almost tied for first preference votes, with Harris remaining optimistic about results.
He said that in 26 of the 43 constituencies, Fine Gael did not have a sitting TD on the ballot, but was still seeing gains.
However, he said it was still too “hard to call” who will come out of the election as the largest party.
“I mean, it looks likely, on the figures that we’ve seen now, fewer people, many fewer people would have voted Sinn Fein in this election than the last one,” Harris said.
“In fact, I think they’re down by around 5% and actually the parties, particularly the two parties, the two larger parties in government, are likely to receive significant support from the electorate. So definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented.”
Harris told reporters that it was too early to comment on coalition negotiations, but said he hopes that Fine Gael will play an important and “possibly a leadership” role in the next government.
He added that it transfers made it difficult to predict how the coming hours would go.
“I think 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,” Harris said.
“Our electoral system dictates that there’ll be many, many transfers that will go on for hours, if not days, before we know the final computations at all.
Asked about the possible election of Gerry ‘the Monk’ Hutch in Dublin Central, Harris said the choice was entirely a matter for the local constituency.
“But I remain to be convinced that he will be a TD. I think there’s a long way to go in relation to that and as I talk to people on the ground at Dublin Central, and as I read the news, I don’t think he’s nailed-on yet at all.”
With additional reporting from PA.
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Great to see SF and Mary Lou are finished and she is getting the bullet in the coming weeks.
@Trump24: You’re in the wrong country, that’s the USA.
@Trump24: Like when you said 2 weeks ago they wouldnt get near FFG either?
Jesus, enough with FG’s obsession with sinn fein. I don’t like them myself & have never voted for them but enough is enough.
@Matt D: Someone senior in FG needs to take this lad aside & explain that there is a time to bite your tongue, a time to listen, a time to show humility & a time to speak honestly. I am no fan of SF, but surely, he could have let this go by, counting isn’t even completed ! His constant need for making news feeds & media is actually a turn off for people & he needs a little bit of reflection as his own cock ups have cost his colleagues & his party, many seats. Who is advising this lad, I know he has surrounded himself with people from Irish MSM, but Harris & his party & actually SF as well, might be better off getting ordinary people in to advise them, as they can’t seem to connect with ordinary people or how to deliver a message. Get some real life advisors Simon.
Just saying Sinn Fein makes him and Micheal Martin stiff.
It would be satisfying to see FG suffer, given their lies during the recession at a point when the people of Ireland were at their most vulnerable, and persistence with austerity taxes when the country is awash with excess tax take year after year.
Hopefully Gerry parks beside Simon every day in the Dail and smiles at him going in. Will be hilarious!
Looks like the “FFG” line has been overplayed. In so far as that entity exists, it seems on course to be by far the largest party.
@Terry McClatchey: Insofar as it exists, it will be the largest party? A politician wouldn’t put it better
They Don’t Get It…Reign In RTE and the Energy Companies. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
That’s right Harris keep snipping….
Wonder will Martin be dumb enough to say for a second time after an election he wont jump into bed with their partners for life FG or does FF and its leadership actually have the cop on to admit they are the same two cheeks and one wont survive without the other any more
Harris can spin this anyway he wants the knives will still be out for his tea boy backside……his gaff a week ago almost backfired badly, even leaky leo wouldnt have done that
@Patrick Newell: he should get no votes,
Haven’t seen a Fianna Gael surge either and all those massive problems will still be there if independents and parties are willing to sell their souls
Great to see all the Fianna Fail men getting elected, the country could do with real men like Fianna Fail men
@Fintan Pox: What country? FF has and continues to destroy Ireland
@Fintan Pox: your surname is apt
@Fintan Pox: good man the extra strength glue really taking ya to another level of deluded
@Mayo seem to be the football equivalent of Waterfo:
We’ve never had it so good.
@Dave G Doe: how does a party that lost the election become a winner in literally anyone’s eyes ? How? They came third.
During the American election we were saying if Trump was the best that they had to offer they are mad. Now the Irish people have voted Harris AGAIN
This gimp scraped through on the 15th count in 2020. Can anybody who voted him please tell me what he has done in 4 years to deserve this huge vote?. It shows ,once again, how affluent voters truly do not give a damn about the rest of people and the bigger issues this clown and his party have caused. Homelessness,illegal immigration, hospital lists and young adults still living at home due to FFG policies prohibiting them ever buying a house are things that don’ bother his supporters. How stupid people really are.
Ya fine gael and fianna fails vote are 50% down in last 10 years, they had to join up and when the rest of the idiots die off they’ll have a lot less votes thank god. Wel done Ireland ye are clueless
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