FG chairman says party will see losses and forming a government will be tough

Fine Gael will be relieved at the shock exit poll for the election but also expects to lose Dáil seats in parts of the country, party chairman Martin Heydon has said.

Fine Gael will be relieved at the shock exit poll for the election but also expects to lose Dáil seats in parts of the country, party chairman Martin Heydon has told the Irish Examiner.

Speaking in the wake of the

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Counting has begun around the country in what is now expected to be a seismic shift in the political landscape, with Sinn Féin expected to match the support of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

The poll, which has the

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Speaking to the Irish Examiner this morning, Mr Heydon said:

“It reflects what we felt in the last week, after a very difficult campaign that people were coming back to us, particularly after the last leaders' debate on Tuesday night.

Martin Heydon

“Obviously this is going to be a difficult day on these numbers, we are still going to lose some colleagues. But considering what was being predicted over the three or four weeks of the campaign, the fact that weeks ago we were three or four points behind Fianna Fáil in a poll, this is a better scenario for us and significant loss for Fianna Fáil from that position of strength.”

With the current predictions from the RTÉ/Irish Times exit poll, Fine Gael could lose second seats in rural areas, while Fianna Fáil is unlikely to break through in Dublin.

However, Sinn Féin will pick up second seats in a number of constituencies and its surplus votes will likely help other left wing candidates get elected during the counts.

Asked about how the parties would form a government, once counted finishes, Mr Heydon added:

“This will take time. Fine Gael has clearly set out a strong manifesto with our objectives in that and that will be our starting point to talk to everybody.

“As the Taoiseach has said, we are open to talking to all sides, with the exception of Sinn Féin.”