Youth and beauty start to play part in election race

“THE posters are definitely different to what people usually see” – Councillor Sarah Ryan, 25, is slow to admit it but being young, female and good looking is helping her and others like her, get noticed in the local election campaign.

It will take a few days before Sarah knows if she will hold her seat in Dublin City Council. But she has already succeeded in one poll – the Boylesports’ unashamedly macho “foxiest candidate” vote – where she comes in a close second behind her local rival, Labour’s Maria Parodi, also 25.

A European election candidate, Sinn Fein’s Toireasa Ferris, also made headlines in this campaign when a Spanish newspaper voted her as one of the 10 most beautiful politicians in the world.