Sinn Féin surge makes Irish political history
An unprecedented surge in support for the left-wing nationalist Sinn Féin party in Ireland’s election swept away almost a century of dominance by the centrist Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil parties.
With counting underway, early tallies indicated Sinn Féin is emerging as the most popular party in constituencies across Ireland, including in incumbent Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s home turf of Dublin West.
However, the party will struggle to convert all of its support into seats in parliament: it was not expecting to do so well and only ran 42 candidates, well short of the 80 needed for a majority. Coalition talks are set to be difficult and counting will continue for days due to the close result. Exit polls indicated a three-way tie between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, and Sinn Féin on around 22 percent each.
It is the first time Sinn Féin has rivaled the two traditionally dominant parties, who have taken turns in power since the 1920s but have been steadily losing their share of the electorate since the economic crisis of 2008.
“I think people have seen that we are the real alternative to 90 years of conservative government,” said Dessie Ellis, who spent time in prison for involvement with the Provisional Irish Republican Army in the 1980s, and is now set to top the poll for Sinn Féin in Dublin North West.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had ruled out working with Sinn Féin during the campaign, but the result has eroded old certainties and may force the two main parties to drop their opposition to such a coalition. Exit polling suggests that Sinn Féin — which was the political wing of the Provisional Irish Republican Army — benefited from a surge in support among voters under 35, and is the leading party among all groups but those aged 65 and older.
The party rode a wave of support by championing increased spending, rent freezes and a massive public housing program to address strained services and rocketing housing costs.
The results suggest the party has managed to transition away from its political pariah status over its past association with the militant struggle against British rule in Northern Ireland under the leadership of Dubliner Mary Lou McDonald, who took over from storied leader Gerry Adams in 2018.
Sinn Féin’s defining policy in the past has been its support for the unification of Northern Ireland with the republic. It ran on a platform of holding a referendum on the issue within five years, but this was not a prominent subject in the campaign. Nevertheless, its surge in support reflects increased support for a unity referendum.
The party credited a massive get-the-vote-out effort by volunteers, and the fact that the election was held on a Saturday for the first time, for overcoming a historical tendency to underperform in elections compared with polls.
“Working class areas have come out in huge numbers,” Ellis said.
Source: Politico
