Reality check: party lowers expectations on election chances

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

At a conference two years ago, party strategists suggested they could win as many as 30 additional seats if the election went to plan. They had outlined in detail where they expected to gain and at whose expense.

However, this weekend, a senior strategist identified only 22 constituencies where the party has a realistic chance of gaining additional seats. Fine Gael has 32 seats, so the revised estimate means the party would win 54 seats at best in the next election.