FF braced for heavy losses after high turnout
As polling stations around the country closed at 9pm, estimates put the national turnout at 55%, some 5% higher than 1999.
Party workers at polling station across Dublin where the turnout was 37% in the 1999 elections tallied the turnout at between 40%-45% with significant increases in areas such as Ballyfermot, Ballymun, and Corduff/Mulhuddert.
In the South and North-West, the figures could exceed 60% with some polling stations in Cork and Kerry recording turnouts of up to 80%. The estimated turnout in the major cities was: Cork (50%); Limerick (55%) and Galway (55%), with higher numbers in rural areas.
The higher-than-anticipated turnout was attributed to the high-profile European campaigns, the fact that three polls took place, warm weather and the fact that polling stations opened at 7am for the first time.
The above-normal turnout was also being interpreted as having negative consequences for the ruling Coalition, especially for FF.
High voting patterns in similar mid-term elections in the past have normally favoured the opposition.
According to political analyst Noel Whelan, yesterday's high turnout could be explained by the fact that middle-class voters, in particular, want to send a message to the Government.
"If people are making an effort to go out and vote, it's because of something that they want to say. There is nothing indicating that they have anything positive to say to the Government. And so they must have something negative to say," said Mr Whelan.
On Thursday, in his final interview prior to the election, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern accepted that Fianna Fáil would find it difficult to maintain its 380 seats on city and county councils.
Recent opinion polls indicate the party's share may be down by 5% or more. Estimates say it may lose between 50-100 local authority seats and is in danger of seeing its number of MEPs cut from six to four.
Conversely, Fine Gael is expected to make a strong recovery after its 2002 General Election fiasco. However, the strength of any recovery will be gauged by its performance in Dublin, which has become an FG black spot in recent years.
The high turnout is also expected to favour Sinn Féin which is likely to make massive gains at all levels.
Both Labour and the Greens are expected to make gains in the locals, recovering from poor performances in 1999. The PDs may also buck the trend for Coalition parties by making some gains in Laois/Offaly, Limerick and Cork.
There was some evidence to suggest that unusually high numbers of people were unable to vote in Galway, Cork and Dublin. Some complained that they had not received the correct forms while other were unable to vote because of minor typographical errors on the register or because their names had been removed from the electoral roll.
