POLL SHOCK: Sinn Féin now Ireland’s most popular party, FG slumps to third

Sinn Féin has surged into first place in the general election race with just days to go before voters go to the polls.

The party now commands 25% support of the electorate, according to the final Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI opinion poll of the campaign.

It puts Fine Gael back in third place atjust 20%, behind Fianna Fáil on 23%. The Green are at 8% according to the poll, with Labour on just 4%.

The findings of the poll, which was taken on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week, will shock the Government party and suggests Ireland is on the brink of an historic general election result on Saturday.

However, Fianna Fáil remains the most popular choice for government, with more voters expressing a preference for a coalition government involving that party than any other, while Sinn Féin is the party that the highest number of voters do not want to see in government.

In addition, Sinn Féin is handicapped by running too few candidates to take advantage of its new-found support, and is unlikely – even on these figures – to be the largest party in the next Dáil.

State of the parties: Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI  

Sinn Féin – 25%
Fianna Fáil – 23%
Fine Gael – 20%
Independents/Others – 20%
Greens – 8%
Labour 4%