Ireland Goes To The Polls

The long awaited day of crucial voting in Ireland has arrived, as local, European, and two bye-elections get under way on Friday.

More than 3m people are eligible to vote and will be taking to the ballot box between 7am and 10pm tonight following weeks of heady campaigning and debate.

The elections will find 12 MEPs and over 1,600 members of local authorities, as well as filling the two vacant Dáil seats in Dublin Central and Dublin South in the hotly contested bye-elections.

In his closing Election Day speech, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said there was much at stake.

"The defining issue in this election must be which of the candidates has the capacity to bring jobs and investment home to Ireland. Fianna Fail’s candidates have that capacity," he said.

The Taoiseach added: "The Government is determined to see the country through this recession by taking the decisions that will make us more competitive for when the economic upturn comes."

The Fianna Fail Government has received severe drubbings in the polls leading up to Friday's elections, finishing third overall in a recent TBS/mrsi survey.

If the results in recent polls are reflected in the European and local elections, it is believed the Government will be forced to call an early general election.

However, Mr Cowen has so far remain defiant, and has so far insisted the current vote would be centred on local and European concerns and have no wider impact.

The European election count will not start until 9pm on Sunday night, when polling stations across the EU have closed. Counting in the two bye-elections, for which separate ballot boxes will be used, will also begin tomorrow and declarations are expected by late evening in both constituencies.

(DW/JM)