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Fianna Fáil Popularity Soars in Ireland
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Ireland’s governing party is much more popular now comparing to last year, according to a poll by TNS mrbi published in The Irish Times. 42 per cent of respondents would vote for Fianna Fáil (FF) in the next general election, up nine points since October.
Fine Gael is second with 26 per cent—down five points in seven months—followed by the Labour party with 15 per cent, Sinn Fein with six per cent, the Greens with four per cent, and the Progressive Democrats with one per cent.
In May 2007, Irish voters renewed the House of Representatives. Fianna Fáil finished in first place with 41.6 per cent of the vote and 78 lawmakers, followed by Fine Gael with 27.3 per cent and 51 legislators, and Labour with 10.1 per cent and 20 representatives. In June, Bertie Ahern was ratified as prime minister, with the support of Fianna Fáil, six Green lawmakers, two members of the Progressive Democrats and four independents.
In the 1990s, a public inquiry was established to investigate corruption allegations related to the issuing of planning and zoning permits in Ireland. Ahern faced an investigation by the so-called Mahon Tribunal. Ahern’s involvement in the corruption scandal practically paralyzed the legislature earlier this year.
Ahern stepped down on May 6. Several fellow party members had called for Ahern—who had served as head of government since June 1997—to resign in order to protect the party from the damages caused by the investigation.
On May 7, Fianna Fáil lawmakers chose finance minister Brian Cowen to replace Ahern as leader and prime minister. Cowen accepted the nomination, saying, "I accept the honour with a genuine sense of humility. That sense is engendered in large part by my love for Ireland. This is a wonderful country. We are a fortunate people."
Polling Data
What party would you support in the next general election?
|
May 2008 |
Oct. 2007 |
|
|
Fianna Fáil (FF) |
42% |
33% |
|
Fine Gael (FG) |
26% |
31% |
|
Labour Party (Lab.) |
15% |
15% |
|
Sinn Fein (SF) |
6% |
7% |
|
Green Party (GP) |
4% |
5% |
|
Progressive Democrats (PD) |
1% |
2% |
Source: TNS mrbi / The Irish Times
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 Irish voters, conducted on May 12 and May 13, 2008. No margin of error was provided.