Oh dear, Leo! Irish election humiliation looms for Varadkar - shock poll
LEO VARADKAR faces an Irish election humiliation, as polls have forecasted disaster for his party ahead of Saturday's vote.
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The Irish general election will be held on February 8 at the request of the Taoiseach, but his plans may well backfire. The poll showed Mr Varadkar’s party, Fine Gael,is trailing in the general election run. It revealed Irish republican party Sinn Fein, which is dedicated to the reunification of the island, is ahead with 25 percent of support from the electorate.
Polling in second was Fianna Fail, headed by Micheal Martin, who are predicted to scoop up 22 percent of the vote.
Trailing behind in third place, Mr Varadkar’s party is expected to gain only 17 percent of the vote.
The poll is promising for Ireland’s Green Party, who gained 2.7% of the vote in the last election.
Current predictions see the Green Party set to gain nine percent of the vote, in what is a marked improvement for the party.
Ireland’s Labour Party seems to have stagnated, though, with a 6 percent prediction, which is not dissimilar to the 6.6 percent of the vote they gained in the last election.
The poll was carried out by Survation on February 2 and surveyed 1,074 people. It was carried out on behalf of Sinn Fein - who topped the poll.
The 160 members of Ireland’s lower chamber, Dail Eireann, will be elected by a single transferable vote system.
But a number of well-known Irish politicians are not seeking re-election in the February election.
READ MORE: Irish election: Varadkar faces defeat as fears of Sinn Féin Fianna Fáil
Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein and Enda Kelly of Fine Gael are amongst the 18 members of the 32nd Dail who will be stepping down.
It appears the election will shake up the political consensus within the country, with an unexpected popularity surge for Sinn Fein.
Many believed the Irish general election would reward Mr Varadkar for his work on Brexit.
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However, issues of housing and health have seemingly turned the electorate against him and his party.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have both said they refuse to go into coalition with Sinn Fein following this election.
However, Mr Varadkar has warned he does not believe Fianna Fail’s intentions are true.
He told an Irish Times podcast Fianna Fail could backtrack because of Michael Martin’s desire to become the Taoiseach, in what would be his last attempt to become leader.
Yesterday, Fine Gael tweeted: “Vote Fianna Fail, get Sinn Fein? Think carefully before you cast your vote this Saturday.”
Traditionally, Sinn Fein is the third largest party in Ireland, but a recent surge suggests the party, which has a complicated history, could be successful.
One leading Irish politician told the BBC: “The Sinn Fein rise is real. It’s our Trump, Brexit, Lega, Le Pen, or even our Corbyn. Everything is changing. There’s a global theme.”