JUSTICE MINISTER AND Fine Gael TD Frances Fitzgerald has been elected in her constituency of Dublin Mid-West.
Fitzgerald was elected on the first count, with 9,028 votes.
However, she did not top the poll, with Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin receiving 9,782 votes on the first count, also winning a seat.
Speaking to Newstalk after her win, Fitzgerald said:
“It means a huge amount to me on what is obviously a very tough day for the party and for many of my colleagues.”
It’s a very tough day for us and it’s going to be food for a lot of thought.
She said there were “clearly a lot of issues” to be looked at but added her party “did have to take very tough decisions over the last five years”.
Fitzgerald did not rule out a Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil coalition, telling Pat Kenny “there is an onus on all of us now to find a stable government”.
This is democracy in action.
There are now two more seats to fill in this constituency, likely to go to Fianna Fáil’s John Curran and Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit’s Gino Kenny.
Labour Party candidate Joanna Tuffy had already conceded earlier today:
More to follow…
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