Taoiseach opposed to coalition voting pact in Dublin Bay South

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Fianna Fáil is focused on winning the seat for its candidate, councillor Deirdre Conroy. Picture: Moya Nolan

The Taoiseach is opposed to the coalition parties entering into a voting pact in the Dublin Bay South by-election.

Reports have suggested that Higher Education Minister Simon Harris, the Fine Gael director of elections, has urged Fianna Fáil and the Greens to unite the parties' bases to secure the seat for one of the ruling parties and stop Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan from winning the July 8 by-election.

However, Micheál Martin said Fianna Fáil is focused on winning the seat for its candidate, councillor Deirdre Conroy. He told RTÉ's The Week In Politics the Irish people rarely like to be told how to vote and any official pact is not a good idea.

"I was surprised by [the reports[ in the sense that from my own experience, formal voting pacts don't work. The Irish people are sophisticated enough to know how to work the PR voting system. That's my experience in elections and referendums. My experience tells me that the most important thing will be to respect the voter and seek the voter's support."

Sources in Fianna Fáil and the Green Party also bristled at the idea. One Fianna Fáil TD suggested Mr Harris may be nervous at the prospect of his party's councillor James Geoghegan not being elected to the seat vacated by the resignation of former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy. 

The Greens, likewise, rejected the notion that they should ask people how to vote beyond their candidate, councillor Claire Byrne. One source said the Greens would "try to win the seat for the party like any other election" and moving purely to stop the opposition is "not a viable plan".

With two weeks to go to the election, a poll shows support for Fine Gael has risen to 30% among voters, regaining its lead over Sinn Féin.

The latest Business Post/Red C poll shows support for Leo Varadkar’s party has risen by 1% since last month’s poll, just enough to narrowly edge past Mary Lou McDonald’s party which remains at 29%.

The two parties have been neck and neck in the Red C poll in recent months, well ahead of the Taoiseach’s own party.

Support for Fianna Fáil rests at a mere 13% nationally, down a percentage point since May’s poll.

The Green Party’s support remains unchanged at 5% while Labour is stuck on 3%. The Social Democrats are down to 4%, which is 1% lower than its polling last month.

Support for Independents, meanwhile, has risen by a percentage point, bringing them up to 11%. Solidarity-People Before Profit and Aontú remain unchanged at 2%.