Byelections 2019: Fianna Fáil's Malcolm Byrne looks set to top the poll in Wexford

Fine Gael's director of elections for Wexford, Charlie Flanagan, has arrived at the count centre where Fianna Fáils Malcolm Byrne looks set to top the poll.

Fianna Fáil’s Malcolm Byrne is set to top the poll in Wexford based on final tallies.

However, it will be tight race between Mr Byrne, Fine Gael’s Verona Murphy and Labour’s George Lawlor with the final result hanging on transfers.

Final tallies, have put Mr Byrne on 31%, Ms Murphy on 23% and Mr Lawlor on 20%.

The tally, which was not 100% as it did not include six boxes, put Sinn Féin's Johnny Mythen on 9.5%, Karin Dubsky of the Green Party on 5.8% and Aontú candidate Jim Codd on 5.2%. The remaining three candidates secured around 1% each.

Barry Cowen, Fianna Fáil's director of elections in Wexford said he is confident that his party's candidate can now go on to secure the seat.

Obviously it's a game of two halves, the first half is the first preference vote and it's reasonably good from our perspective.

"It now depends on transfers as to where the seat will will go. We're in a strong position we hope we can maintain that strong position and be transfer friendly and get across the line," he said.

Speaking at the count centre, Labour leader Brendan Howlin said:

“George [Lawlor] as I expected has polled extraordinary well in the south of the county and held up the Labor vote all over the county. It looks like a three-horse race that will be determined as all these ones are on the transfers."

From the boxes that were tallied:

Malcolm Byrne FF 31%

Verona Murphy FG 24%

George Lawlor Lab 20%

Johnny Mythen SF 6%

Jim Codd Aontú 5%

Karin Dubsky Green 5%

Others and invalid votes 9%

Justice Minister and #wexford director of elections @CharlieFlanagan meets @BrendanHowlin as he arrives at the count centre where initial tallies put @VeronaMurphyFG in second position on first count #iestaff #byelections2019 pic.twitter.com/rqzKfDelXf

— Elaine Loughlin (@Elaine_Loughlin) November 30, 2019

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has denied claims made by his party's Wexford candidate Verona Murphy that she was the subject of a character assassination.

In a surprising intervention, Mr Flanagan has also out a another named candidate who ran in the Dublin Fingal constituency who he said "got a free pass" from the media.

Asked about Ms Murphy, who was forced to apologise during the campaign for her remarks about asylum seekers, Mr Flanagan said: “This was a turbulent campaign. The Fine Gael campaign, in particular, experienced some difficulties. I don't believe it would be reasonable or fair to define any candidate on one issue."

He added: “It was Verona’s Murphy first election campaign. She wasn't accustomed to what is the rough and tumble of an election campaign. Elections are not for the faint hearted."

Ahead of yesterday's vote, Ms Murphy claimed in an online post that she had been the victim of a character assassination. However, when questioned on this, Mr Flanagan said he didn't believe this was the case.

When asked if her comments had a direct impact on her performance in the by-election, Mr Flanagan said it was "difficult to assess" but he wouldn't be rushing to any conclusions.

“What I will say is that she was the focus of much national criticism. She apologised but there are other candidates, and one in particular, Gemma O’ Doherty, who didn't apologise and who seemed to get something of a free pass, perhaps maybe from former colleagues in the media,” he said at the Wexford count centre.