(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The largest party in Ireland’s governing coalition has gained public support this month, according to a poll by Red C published in the Sunday Business Post. 36 per cent of respondents would vote for Fianna Fáil (FF) in the next general election, up four points since November.

Fine Gael is second with 32 per cent, followed by the Labour party with 10 per cent, Sinn Fein with nine per cent, the Greens with seven per cent, and the Progressive Democrats with two per cent.

In May 2007, Irish voters renewed the House of Representatives. Final results placed Fianna Fáil 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 October, Ahern, the country’s 14 cabinet members and 20 lower-ranked ministers were awarded a significant pay increase following the recommendation of a panel of experts, which claimed that high salaries in the public sector help maintain senior political posts competitive with those in the private sector.

On Jan. 23, the European Union (EU) unveiled its plans to curb climate change. According to the guidelines, Ireland must cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent by the year 2020, based on 2005 figures. The European Commission has also set a target of 16 per cent of all energy in Ireland to come from renewable sources by that date. Ahern said the targets raised "very serious economic and social issues for Ireland," and stated that the government will try to lobby the EU in order to reduce them.

Polling Data

What party would you support in the next general election?

Source: Red C / Sunday Business Post
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,002 Irish adults, conducted from Jan. 21 to Jan. 23, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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