THE TOP THREE parties are all tied on similar support, according to an exit poll commissioned by TG4, RTÉ, the Irish Times and UCD.

Fine Gael is on 22.4%, Fianna Fáil on 22.2%, and Sinn Féin is on 22.3%.

RTÉ RTÉ

The rest of the parties’ support is as follows:

• Green Party 8%
• The Labour Party 5%
• Social Democrats 3%
• Solidarity People-Before-Profit 3%
• Aontú 2%
• Others 2%
• Independents 11%

Ipsos/ MRBI interviewed 5,376 people at 259 count centres across Ireland immediately after they voted today. The margin of error is +/-1.3%.

It gives the best indication of how the electorate has voted, while also measuring the reasons and demographics behind the vote.

The exit poll doesn’t predict the turnout, however, which can have a significant effect on the final vote – as was the case in the European elections.

Turnout in this general election already appears to be high – with many local media organisations reporting a turnout between 50-60% in the final few hours.

Fine Gael’s Martin Heydon told RTÉ’s the Late Debate that the poll result was “encouraging” and that Fine Gael is “marginally the largest party”. He also acknowledged that this was the end of the two-party dominance, but said that it was still a disastrous result for Fine Gael. 

“The ability to form a government is going to be hard out of this,” he said.

Updates to follow