Polls close in Galway and Dublin by-elections
Polls have closed in Galway and Dublin in by-elections to choose two new members of the Dail.
On Friday, voters chose from a range of candidates to fill the seats vacated by Catherine Connolly when she became president, and former minister Paschal Donohoe, who left political life to become the World Bank’s chief knowledge officer.
The respective by-elections were held in the Galway West and Dublin Central constituencies.
The campaign of Gerry “The Monk” Hutch, who has been described in court by a judge as the patriarchal figurehead of the Hutch criminal organisation, has also been closely watched in the constituency.
Gardai were alerted to incidents in which his image and “Vote Hutch No 1” were repeatedly etched into the ground outside a polling centre.
Electoral rules prohibit postering or canvassing in the vicinity of polling stations.
Independents Tony Corrigan, Colm Joseph Flood, Mannix Flynn, Malachy Steenson, and John O’Leary are also running.
The other TDs in the four-seater constituency are Labour’s Marie Sherlock and Social Democrat Garry Gannon.
In contention for the fifth seat are Fine Gael’s Sean Kyne, Labour’s Helen Ogbu, Social Democrats’ Mide Nic Fhionnlaoich, Sinn Fein’s Mark Lohan, Green Party candidate Niall Murphy, Fianna Fail’s Cillian Keane, People Before Profit’s Denman Rooke, Aontu’s Orla Nugent and Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas, formerly of Fianna Fail.
Galway City mayor Mike Cubbard is among independents Neill Bairead, Patrick Feeney, Sheila Garrity, John OLeary, Michael Ryan and Thomas Welby, with AJ Cahill running for The Irish People.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said it was “very hard to call it” when asked on Thursday about the by-elections, and said Dublin Central had “historically been a more difficult constituency for us”.
Ireland’s independent electoral commission also worked with polling stations to offer voters stickers for the first time.
In a test run, An Coimisiun Toghchain offered voters in 17 polling stations “I’m a voter” or “Is votalai me” stickers as they cast their votes.
Art O’Leary, the commission’s chief executive, said: “Every vote cast is a small act of belief – belief in your neighbours, belief in your community, and belief that our shared future is something worth shaping together.
“These stickers are a simple but visible reminder that democracy does not belong to institutions or politicians alone – it belongs to people. To families walking home together from the polling station.
“To friends, neighbours and work colleagues encouraging each other. To citizens proudly taking part.
“In many countries, ‘I Voted’ stickers have become badges of civic pride. We’re excited to see voters in Dublin and Galway wear them with the same sense of ownership and participation.”
Hand counting of the paper ballots will begin at 9am on Saturday.
Ireland’s use of a proportional representative system of a single-transferrable vote can see multiple rounds of recounting ballots over several hours as candidates are excluded from contention.