An acrimonious general election recount in the Laois-Offaly constituency cost taxpayers €36,273, but the recount only added four votes to the total of Liam Quinn, the unsuccessful Fine Gael candidate who demanded the recount.

The brother of Taoiseach and former Fianna Fáil Brian Cowen has been elected to the third seat in the Laois-Offaly constituency.

One of the three constituencies where votes are still being counted this afternoon is Laois-Offaly.

Counts are underway in three constituencies this afternoon, where 12 seats are empty.

The recount in the Laois-Offaly constituency has been completed and a result is expected shortly.

Counts are underway in all three constituencies where seats remain to be filled.

A full recount is getting underway in Wicklow after a request from Fianna Fáil's Dick Roche who, it seemed, would be eliminated after the 13th count.

The counting of votes in General Election 2011 is nearly at an end with just 12 more seats left to fill.

TWO constituencies were still undergoing recounts last night, with a third beginning this morning, as the wait goes on to see the full make-up of the next Dáil.

With all bar four of the 43 constituencies in the General Election finished counting, the country’s political scene has undergone a sea change.

Charlie Flanagan of Fine Gael is ahead of Brian Cowen's brother Barry after the first count in the Laois-Offaly constituency.

The brother of the outgoing Taoiseach Brian Cowen - Barry Cowen - has said he is not giving up hope yet that Fianna Fáil can hold on to its two seats in Laois Offaly.

There is as yet no official word on the outcome of polling in the Laois-Offaly constituency, where the outgoing Taoiseach's brother, Barry Cowen, is now running.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen told Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin to concentrate his efforts on other constituencies because his presence was not needed to secure seats in Laois-Offaly.

When it comes to parish pump politics, nobody in Laois-Offaly can lay a glove on Charlie Flanagan.

Barry Cowen, brother of outgoing Taoiseach Brian Cowen, has said he feels both proud and privileged to be selected to contest the forthcoming general election.

I am proud and grateful to have served with... my party colleagues

In the next few weeks, the people of this country will be asked to vote in a very important General Election. Decisions have to be made which will affect all citizens, both now and into our future.

ONE of Brian Cowen’s constituency colleagues has admitted Fianna Fáil will be in “fierce trouble” in Laois-Offaly if the Taoiseach doesn’t run in the general election.

Mattie McGrath has become the latest person to jump ship from the Fianna Fáil party.

Two more long-standing Fianna Fáil TDs have announced that they are quitting politics.

Fine Gael TD Olwyn Enright has announced she will quit national politics at the next general election.

Fine Gael TD Olwyn Enright has taken herself out of the running for a front bench position.

Almost 200 jobs were axed today at a medical devices plant in the Midlands.

HAVING voted confidence in Willie O’Dea the day before he resigned from the cabinet, can this Government show much more disregard to the institutions of the state for the sake of Fianna Fáil?

BY exploiting economic fears, the Yes side changed tack emphatically in 16 months.

With all official constituency counts in, the Lisbon Treaty has been officially rejected by the Irish electorate.

Detectives were today scouring mountain woods for the body of a part-time model who vanished almost twelve years ago.

Gardaí investigating the disappearance of Offaly woman Fiona Pender over 11 years ago have begun to search an area on the Laois-Offaly border.

PLANS are going ahead for a protest over the threats posed to Irish farming and agri business by the world trade talks, when the European Commission president José Manuel Barroso visits Dublin next Thursday.

BRIAN COWEN was yesterday nominated for the leadership of Fianna Fáil by two of the ministers considered front-runners for promotion in his government.

MORE than half of the country’s 43 constituencies will undergo extensive changes in electoral registers and county boundaries under the raft of recommendations by the Constituency Commission.

WHAT little remains of the dwindling Progressive Democrats has been dealt a huge body blow with the surprise decision of former junior minister and party president Tom Parlon to quit politics.

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent has in the past few minutes been elected to the North Dublin constituency.

FINE GAEL’S seat surge saw them within striking distance of their 50-TD target — but the gains came at the expense of Labour and the smaller parties, not Fianna Fáil.

WELL, we may have admired the independent candidate in Laois-Offaly, John Bracken, for two things — his amazing head of hair and the fact that he had penned his own song.

A total of almost 470 candidates have been nominated to contest the upcoming election in the 43 constituencies nationwide.

FINE GAEL has lowered its expectations ahead of the General Election.

Progressive Democrat TD Tom Parlon claimed today that he had strong support to take over as party leader following Tánaiste Mary Harney’s sudden resignation.

Fine Gael has accused the Government of putting gardaí at serious risk by failing to provide them with adequate numbers of bullet-proof vests.

Health, transport and childcare will dominate the agenda this weekend as 600 Progressive Democrats delegates gather in Cork for their annual conference.

Fionnán Sheahan, Political Correspondent