Ó Neachtain defies FF to top poll in North West

SEÁN Ó NEACHTAIN, who Fianna Fáil tried to prevent from running in the European elections, last night topped the poll in the North West constituency.

Mr Ó Neachtain, who was elected on 102,000 votes after the fifth count, was closely followed by independent candidate and sitting TD for Sligo/Leitrim Marian Harkin on 100,522 votes.

Fine Gael's Mayo senator Jim Higgins involved in a close race with Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty for the last seat polled 92,657 votes bringing to four the number of European seats won by Fine Gael.

None of the candidates received the required quota but were declared elected on the final count, after the elimination of all the other candidates.

In one of the biggest surprises of the North West, Pearse Doherty came close to taking the third seat, coming within 7,000 votes of Jim Higgins who had to rely on a hefty transfer of votes from party colleague Madeline Taylor Quinn to stay ahead.

But sitting MEP Dana Rosemary Scallon was eliminated, losing the seat she has held since 1999. Junior Transport Minister Jim McDaid was also eliminated, polling far behind his party colleague Seán Ó Neachtain.

Mr Ó Neachtain, who Fianna Fáil tried to stand down in favour of running Frank Fahey, said democracy had won.

"What I would like to say is that I believe democracy within the party has been enhanced by this victory," he said.

Marian Harkin said her victory, and that of Kathy Sinnott in the South constituency, was a sign that independents would be playing an increasingly important part of national and international politics.

"Those who say independents are going nowhere are wrong," she said.

Accepting defeat, Pearse Doherty, who promised to run for the Dáil in two years' time, said his personal tally of 85,000 votes, including more than 20,000 transfers, proved the Sinn Féin agenda had been accepted by the people of the North West constituency.

Dana, too, said she would return. "Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I'll be back," she promised.

Jim McDaid also played down his loss. "It's just an experience of life and in this county and this country today there are a lot of people who are worse off than James McDaid," he said.