Ivana Bacik 'over the moon' to be elected
Labour Senator Ivana Bacik has been elected to the DĂĄil, beating Fine Gael's James Geoghegan by over 4,000 votes on the 9th count. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
- Labour's Ivana Bacik "absolutely over the moon" to top the poll in Dublin Bay South
- Party leader Alan Kelly said that he is "immensely proud" after a "fantastic, positive campaign"
- Sinn FĂ©in calls for a general election having received âsolid and strongâ support
- TĂĄnaiste Leo Varadkar denies question of his leadership of Fine Gael
- Result "disappointing" for Fianna FĂĄil says Jim O'Callaghan TD
- The quota to be deemed elected is 13,442
Labour Senator Ivana Bacik has been elected to the DĂĄil, beating Fine Gael's James Geoghegan by over 4,000 votes on the 9th count.
Ms Bacik led the way in the Dublin Bay South by-election from the early tallies until the final count, having taken over 30% of the votes, outperforming her party's national polling by ten times.
Ms Bacik said that she was "over the moon" to have been elected in her home constituency.
She said that she had run a "positive and courteous election" and thanked the constituency for its votes.
Ms Bacik has been a Senator for the Dublin University panel for 14 years and has built a profile as an activist on, among other things, environmental and women's rights.
Her win is a major victory for the Labour Party which has struggled to regain the ground it lost in its electorate drubbing in 2016.
In Alan Kelly's first by-election as leader, the party has taken the seat vacated by the resignation of former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and upset local Fine Gael councillor James Geoghegan.
Ivana Bacik Elected - Count 9
Dublin Bay South Bye Election 2021
Candidates in Red Eliminated
The candidates from Sinn FĂ©in and the Green Party have been eliminated from the Dublin Bay South by-election.
Green Councillor Claire Byrne had received 8% of the vote, while Sinn FĂ©in senator Lynn Boylan took 15.8%.
The eliminations mean that just Fine Gael's James Geoghegan and Labour's Ivana Bacik remain in the race.
Elsewhere, Taoiseach MicheĂĄl Martin has rejected any suggestion about his leadership of Fianna FĂĄil being in doubt, despite his partyâs disastrous performance.
He said it is still his intention to become TĂĄnaiste and will lead the party into the next General Election.
The partyâs candidate Deirdre Conroy achieved its worst-ever by-election result, winning just 5% of the first-preference votes.
Speaking in Cork, Mr Martin said he does not anticipate any questions in the coming days about his leadership.
This was despite his own TD Jim OâCallaghan saying the party âwould have to thinkâ about Mr Martin leading Fianna FĂĄil into the next General Election.
Asked if he now anticipated questions about his leadership: "No, I don't,â he said.
When challenged by reporters about whether he was confident in his position as leader, he responded: "Absolutely. There is no issue."
Commenting on the winner, he said: "Ivana Bacik is an accomplished parliamentarian in her own right, as a senator and has a long and distinguished record in academia also.
"I do believe people responded well to the fact that she had made such a contribution over the years.â
Results - Count 8
Dublin Bay South Bye Election 2021
Candidates in Red Eliminated
Fianna FĂĄil candidate Deirdre Conroy has been eliminated on the seventh count, capping a miserable day for her party.Â
The local councillor took 4.6% of the overall first-preferences, with her Director of Elections Jim O'Callaghan admitting that it was a poor performance.
Taoiseach MicheĂĄl Martin downplayed his party's loss in Cork.
"I would make the point that the opposition wins by-elections. This would be the 30th by-election since 1990, this will be the 27th time the opposition has won.Â
"I can recall in 2014 we ran John Lahart in Dublin South West, we got just 8%. Two years later, he topped the poll, albeit with a geographical difference.Â
"More or less, it illustrates that by-elections are in no shape or form a marker in terms of what happens in subsequent general elections."
Independent councillor Mannix Flynn was also eliminated.
Results - Count 7
Dublin Bay South Bye Election 2021
Candidates in Red Eliminated
In the sixth count at the RDS, Social Democrat TD Sarah Durcan was eliminated, having taken 849 first choice votes.
Meanwhile, Green Party candidate Claire Byrne says that her performance in the by-election shows that the Green Party is "doing a good job in government".
Ms Byrne received 8% of the vote in the constituency she serves as a councillor and said that she was "really happy" with her showing.
Party leader Eamon Ryan said that it was "a really good campaign" for the party and talked about Ms Byrne's transfer friendliness.Â
He said that he was focused on the fact that Ms Byrne outpolled the party's national opinion poll standings and not that her vote was 14 percentage points down on his performance in the same constituency last February.
In an email to party members, Mr Ryan said that the party should be "extremely proud" of Ms Byrne who he said was a figure who had made the national media "sit up and take notice". He praised Ms Byrne for "galvanising" the party.
Results - Count 6
Dublin Bay South Bye Election 2021
Candidates in Red Eliminated
MairĂ©ad TĂłibĂn of Aontu has been excluded on the fifth count.
Results - Count 5
Dublin Bay South Bye Election 2021
Candidates in Red Eliminated
TĂĄnaiste Leo Varadkar has denied there are now question marks over his leadership following the Dublin Bay South by-election.
Fine Gael is set to lose a DĂĄil seat after candidate James Geoghegan failed to retain the seat vacated by former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.
Asked if the result now casts doubts over his position as party leader, Mr Varadkar said there had been "good and bad" elections under his leadership adding that by-elections are notoriously difficult for any Government party to win.
"I will be around for a little while yet, " he told reporters outside the RDS.
Mr Varadkar denied that the result would have been different if Fine Gael had supported and encouraged former TD Kate O'Connell to run.
"Our candidate James Geoghegan held the Fine Gael vote in this constituency, got as many votes, or as big a share of the vote as Eoghan Murphy and Kate O'Connell combined, and that was his first time running for the DĂĄil," he said. Mr Varadkar added that Ms Bacik was a "really strong" candidate.
He said it would be up to Ms O'Connell to put her name forward for selection ahead of the next general election but the party intends on running gender balanced tickets across the country.
"Kate took a decision not to put her name for it, didn't seek my support, didn't seek the support of the local members. I found out that she wasn't contesting the Convention on the Claire Byrne radio show. As I said earlier, next time we will run a gender balanced ticket, as we have for the past 20 years - one man or woman," he said.
The TĂĄnaiste added that he doesn't accept that Fine Gael is a cold house for women.
He admitted that the party "need to listen to the electorate" and will have to focus on national and local issues including housing.
Arriving at the RDS @LeoVaradkar congratulates Labourâs Ivana Bacik, but also says James Geoghegan ran a âreally energetic campaignâ and he has âno doubtâ that Mr Geoghegan will be a TD after the next General Election. #dublinbaysouthbyeelection pic.twitter.com/oj0gZFNCoA
— Elaine Loughlin (@Elaine_Loughlin) July 9, 2021
Brigid Purcell of Solidarity-People Before Profit has been eliminated on the fourth count.
Results - Count 4
Dublin Bay South Bye Election 2021
Candidates in Red Eliminated
Anti-lockdown candidate Dolores Cahill, leader of the far-right National Party Justin Barrett and co-founder of the Dublin Renters' Union Peter Dooley have all been eliminated from the Dublin Bay South by-election.
They received 169, 183 and 261 votes, respectively and were eliminated after the third count.
Results - Count 3
Dublin Bay South Bye Election 2021
Candidates in Red Eliminated
Renua's Jacqui Gilbourne was eliminated in the second count having received 164 first preferences.
Results - Count 2
Dublin Bay South Bye Election 2021
Candidates in Red Eliminated
Labour's Ivana Bacik tops the poll on the first count with 8,131 votes, with Fine Gael's James Geoghegan in second on 7,052.
Sinn FĂ©in's Lynn Boylan was third on 4,245, with the Green Party's Claire Byrne fourth on 2,157.
John Keigher and Colm O'Keeffe were eliminated in the first count, with 23 votes each.
Their votes have been redistributed, but no candidate reached the quota.
Results - Count 1
Dublin Bay South Bye Election 2021
Electorate 77,921
Total Poll 27,044
Turnout 34.71%
Quota 13,442
Candidates in Red Eliminated
Labour's Ivana Bacik has put in a stunning performance, topping the poll in the Dublin Bay South by-election.
It had been expected that Fine Gael's James Geoghegan would top the poll with the party hoping that he would retain the seat vacated by Eoghan Murphy.
However, by mid-morning, as the tallies began to come in, it was clear that the Labour party candidate had secured more first preference votes than had been anticipated.
Mr Geoghegan received 7,052 first preference votes behind Ms Bacik who received 8,131 votes. This now puts Ms Bacik 4% ahead after the first count.
The election has also proved disastrous for Fianna FĂĄil, whose candidate Deirdre Conroy received just 1,247 first preference votes.
Ms Bacik says that she is "absolutely over the moon" to have taken the seat in her home constituency.
The long-time Labour senator said that she had run a "positive, energetic" campaign that had focused on "a change in government policy - particularly in housing".
She said that there was a "mood for change" among her constituents.
Ms Bacik said that she was "overwhelmed at topping the poll". She said that today was "a good day for the Labour Party and those who share Labour values.
Labour leader Alan Kelly said he was "immensely proud" of both Ms Bacik and his party in general after a "fantastic, positive campaign".
He added that the vote had been a "signal to the Government".
The Sinn FĂ©in candidate, Lynn Boylan also put in a stronger than anticipated performance mopping up significant support in inner-city and working-class areas.
She was leading the early tallies after receiving significant support in areas such as Irishtown and Ringsend, however, she was leap-frogged as more boxes were opened. In the end, Ms Boylan received 4,245 votes in the first count.
Arriving at the count centre, Sinn FĂ©in leader Mary Lou McDonald the Government parties have been âfound outâ.
She said: "It is now clear that we have a government living on borrowed time, is very clear that the government's support in the constituency has collapsed and they have been found out, and nowhere more so than in the whole area of housing policy.
âWhatâs happening, not just in Dublin and insignificant parts of that constituency, but right across our city and right across the state is an absolute scandal, people, families, communities being comprehensively failed,â said Ms McDonald.
Fianna FĂĄil's Director of Elections for the Dublin Bay South by-election Jim O'Callaghan has admitted the party's performance today was "disappointing" but said that now is not necessarily the time to change the party's leader.
However, Mr O'Callaghan, who is the sitting Fianna FĂĄil TD for the constituency, said that the party would "have to think about" whether MĂcheĂĄl Martin should lead Fianna FĂĄil into the next general election.
Asked if Mr Martin's position was secure, Mr O'Callaghan said that he "would think that it is".
Mr O'Callaghan said that Fianna FĂĄil does not "understand the scale of the problem in housing".
Labour leader Alan Kelly said that he is "immensely proud" of Ivana Bacik.
Ms Bacik is set to win the Dublin Bay South by-election as a complete tally has given her a comfortable lead over her nearest rival.
He said that Labour had run a "fantastic, positive campaign" that focused on Ms Bacik's work and achievements. He said that he hoped
Ms Bacik would "finally become a TD for her home area".
"The Labour Party family came around Ivana because we all know her work. She was fighting campaigns long before they were popular."
He said Ms Bacik "was the key" to the win, adding she is "an amazing candidate and an amazing person".
He said that he hoped today would be a "good day for Labour" and said the vote was a "signal for the Government".
He said that the narrative that the political landscape is Sinn FĂ©in versus Fine Gael has been shown to be untrue.
Mr Kelly said that his party had had "ten very difficult years" and would now hope to tap in to the "energy and engagement" of this campaign.
Sinn FĂ©in is looking forward to a general election, having received âsolid and strongâ support in the Dublin Bay South by-election, Mary Lou McDonald has said.
Arriving at the RDS count Centre, Ms McDonald said the Government parties have been âfound outâ and the success of the Labour candidate shows this.
While the result of the first count has yet to be announced, Sinn FĂ©in candidate Lynn Boylan has secured 16% of first preferences based on tallies.
Ms Boylan did exceptionally well in the inner-city working-class areas and held her own in more affluent areas as well.Â
Congratulating Labour's Ivana Bacik, who is on 30.4% based on tallies, Ms McDonald said âitâs very clear from the result that itâs Ivanaâs dayâ.
Calling for a general election, Ms McDonald said: "It is now clear that we have a Government living on borrowed time, it's very clear that the Government's support in the constituency has collapsed and they have been found out, and nowhere more so than in the whole area of housing policy.
âWhatâs happening, not just in Dublin Bay South and significant parts of that constituency, but right across our city and right across the State is an absolute scandal, people, families, communities being comprehensively failed,â said Ms McDonald.
Ivana Bacik is set to win the Dublin Bay South by-election as a complete tally has given her a comfortable lead over her nearest rival.
With a full tally now in, the Labour candidate has secured 30.4% of first preference votes.
The result will come as a blow to TĂĄnaiste Leo Varadkar as it had been expected that Fine Gael candidate James Geoghegan would top the poll and retain the seat vacated by former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.
Labourâs Ivana Bacik is on track to take the seat in the #dublinbaysouthbyeelection as a full tally puts her 4% clear of nearest rival James Geoghegan. pic.twitter.com/OzXXnypxrg
— Elaine Loughlin (@Elaine_Loughlin) July 9, 2021
Sources in Fine Gael now accept that it will be an uphill battle for Mr Geoghegan.
Ahead of the vote, Labour sources had said they would be in a position to win the seat on transfers if Ms Bacik was within 5% of Mr Geoghegan who had been expected to top the poll on the first count.
However, she is now on track to easily secure the seat with a 4% gap between herself and her nearest rival according to tallies.
The tally puts Mr Geoghegan on 26.3% followed by Sinn FĂ©in's Lynn Boylan who has secured 16.5% of first preferences according to the tally.
Ms Boylan did exceptionally well in inner-city and working-class areas and held her own in more affluent areas as well.
Fianna FĂĄil will be disappointed with their performance as the tallies suggest that their candidate, Deirdre Conroy secured just 4.5% of first preference votes. This is behind the Green Party candidate Claire Byrne who is on track to take 7.7% of votes in the first count.
However, it is expected that the result of the first count wonât be officially announced until mid-afternoon.
Ivana Bacik is now leading the Dublin Bay South by-election with almost half of all votes tallied.
However, there are just 36 votes between her and Fine Gael's James Geoghegan with 48.6% of the electorate tallied.
The Labour party senator has performed well across the constituency and appears to be taking more votes than expected from Mr Geoghegan in more affluent areas.
With 52 of 106 boxes open, Ms Bacik has 25% of the first preference votes, this is followed by Mr Geoghegan who is tallying at 24.7%.
Sinn FĂ©in's Lynn Boylan, who had initially been in the lead after her 'get out to vote' strategy saw her secure strong support in the inner city areas, has dropped down to third position on 23.9%.
However, it is shaping up to be a massively disappointing election for Fianna FĂĄil, as their candidate Deirdre Conroy has secured just 4% of the votes so far according to tallies.
With nearly 50% of the boxes tallied, Labour's Ivana Bacik holds a slim lead of 25% over Fine Gael's James Geoghegan (24.7%) and Sinn FĂ©in's Lynn Boylan 23.9%.
Meanwhile, Fianna FĂĄil's Deirdre Conroy is on just 4%.
With close to half of the votes tallied, Ivana Bacik is now in the lead. Not a good day for FF with Deirdre Conroy on just 4% #DublinBaySouthByElection pic.twitter.com/NfTQU7bHPs
— Elaine Loughlin (@Elaine_Loughlin) July 9, 2021
With 22 boxes currently counted, Ms Boylan has seen her lead slip and is now on 27.7%.
Mr Geoghehan is also gaining ground and is now up to 20.2% of first preference votes.
Ms Bacik remains in second place with 25.4% of votes.
A 'get out the vote' strategy in inner-city areas has put Sinn FĂ©in's Lynn Boylan in the lead in the Dublin Bay South by-election, initial tallies show.
However, it is expected that Fine Gael's James Geoghegan will gain significantly more votes to take the lead and Labour candidate Ivana Bacik will also leap-frog Ms Boylan as the counting continues.
Counting began shortly after 9am and Ms Boylan is now on 31.5% with 15 of 106 boxes tallied.
This amounts to 13.6% of the electorate.
She gained significant support in working-class areas in the south inner city and into Ringsend.
Partial tallies put Ms Bacik in second place with 25.7% of the votes followed by Mr Geoghegan on 16.6%.
However, the Fine Gael candidate is expected to perform well in areas including Ballsbridge and Sandymount which will come into focus as more boxes are opened.
Some boxes, especially in more affluent areas, are showing significant transfers between Ms Bacik and Mr Geoghegan.
The projected quota is 11,705 votes.
Meanwhile, outside the RDS gardaĂ engaged in a standoff with candidate Dolores Cahill after she refused to wear a mask into the count centre.
Candidate Dolores Cahill has been denied access to the RDS as she is refusing to wear a mask. She is now in a standoff with gardaĂ. #DublinBaySouth pic.twitter.com/ZYRwxRLCpQ
— Elaine Loughlin (@Elaine_Loughlin) July 9, 2021
Counting in the Dublin Bay South by-election has kicked off.
The first boxes were opened shortly after 9am in Dublin's RDS where the number of people admitted has been reduced due to the pandemic.
Ballot boxes have been opened at the #DublinBaySouth by-election count this morning. pic.twitter.com/gOUVsddec3
— Elaine Loughlin (@Elaine_Loughlin) July 9, 2021
Turnout for the vote to decide who will fill the DĂĄil seat vacated by former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy was higher than expected, topping 40% in some areas.
A total of 15 candidates contested the by-election and it could be a number of hours before the results of the first count are announced.
It is expected that the final battle for the seat will be between Fine Gael's James Geoghegan and Labour's Ivana Bacik.Â
However, Sinn FĂ©in are confident that their candidate senator Lynn Boylan will also put in a strong performance especially given the higher than anticipated turnout.
Of most significance was the confirmation that the lower-income area of Ringsend had the highest of four centres with 44% which would be seen to help Ms Boylan.
Other areas like Harold's Cross had 40%, Sandymount was on 41%, while Ranelagh, with a higher proportion of rental properties, was lower on 27%.
The higher turnout compared to a final turnout of 26% recorded for both the Dublin Fingal and Dublin Mid West by-elections in 2019.Â
Dublin Bay South traditionally has a relatively low turnout due to its transient population and only recorded 52% in the last General Election.
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