Ireland's incumbent parties retain power in general election

by IANS |

London, Dec 3 (IANS) Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, members of Ireland's incumbent governing coalition, have held on to power after the final votes were counted in the country's general election.

The two parties secured a combined 86 seats in the 174-seat Dail, Ireland's lower house of parliament, falling just two seats short of a majority on Monday night, reports Xinhua news agency.

Fianna Fail won 48 seats, 10 more than Fine Gael. The main opposition party, Sinn Fein, won 39 seats.

The Green Party, the junior partner of the last coalition government serving alongside Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, suffered a heavy defeat, with its seat count plummeting from 12 to just one.

The election, held on Friday, recorded a historic low voter turnout of 59.7 per cent, the lowest in over a century. Vote counting began on Saturday and concluded with results that leave Fianna Fail and Fine Gael needing at least two additional seats to form a majority government.

Both parties have consistently ruled out the possibility of a coalition with Sinn Fein. Instead, they are expected to begin their search for a coalition partner in the coming days.