Murphy comes from behind to win Dublin SW by-election

Anti-Austerity Alliance candidate Paul Murphy has been elected to the Dáil, beating Sinn Féin poll topper Cathal King in the Dublin South West by-election.

The Socialist Party MEP was 748 votes behind the Sinn Féin candidate after the first count, before narrowing the gap to 291 votes after the seventh count.

Mr Murphy gained 1,839 transfers from eliminated candidates Ronan McMahon (Independent) and Cait Keane (Fine Gael), compared to 982 for Mr King, to win on the 8th count with 9,565 votes in total.

Paul Murphy elected in DSW by-election pic.twitter.com/zJjeoTL0yk

— Fionnan Sheahan (@fionnansheahan) October 11, 2014

Murphy: "Recovery is for the rich, it's for the 1%, it's for the elite it's not for the working class people"

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) October 11, 2014

"No! Way! We won't pay!" is the chant as @paulmurphysp is confirmed as the newest member of Dáil Éireann #dsw14

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) October 11, 2014

Fighting under the Anti-Austerity Alliance banner, Mr Murphy tried to turn the byelection into a referendum on water charging as he urged people to refuse to pay the new levy.

Government parties polled poorly, but Mr Hayes, who quit the Dáil to become an MEP, blamed this on a low turn-out of 35%.

- Additional reporting by Shaun Connolly, Political Correspondent