DUBLIN: Irish voters cast their ballots on Saturday with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar hoping to secure a new term on the back of his Brexit strategy, but polls put his Fine Gael party behind rivals Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail.

Polls opened at 0700 GMT, although a small number of islands off the west coast voted on Friday to allow for rough seas potentially disrupting the transport of ballots by boat. Varadkar, whose party has been in power since 2011, cast his vote on the outskirts of Dublin, seeming in a relaxed mood as he chatted with officials and posed for selfies with voters.

His Fine Gael party has been in power since 2011 but polling suggests they are trailing left-wingers Sinn Fein — the former political wing of the now-defunct Irish Republican Army paramilitary group — and centre-right rivals Fianna Fail.

In Monday’s final opinion poll, Sinn Fein were in front on 25 percent, with Fianna Fail on 23 percent and Fine Gael on 20 percent. In Dublin, a stream of voters made their way to polling stations. Liam Allen, 27, said housing was a “big concern” for him.

“I still live at home with my parents and for the foreseeable future I won’t be able to afford a home,” he said.

Nurse Terry Sanor said: “I’m hoping that the health service will improve, and the waiting list, and the pay for the nurses and the housing.” The centre-right Fine Gael and Fianna Fail parties have traditionally held a duopoly on power.

“I’m hopeful there will be change. In this country, for far too long it’s been dominated by two parties,” said 60-year-old James Comiskey.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2020