Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore has said the performance of the party’s candidate Frank McBrearty in the Donegal South West byelection was “very encouraging”.
Mr McBrearty, a local councillor, polled behind Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and an independent candidate.
He has now been eliminated from the race, with Senator Pearse Doherty of Sinn Fein likely to take the seat.
Mr Gilmore said Mr McBrearty had “more than trebled” the Labour Party share of the vote since the last general election, in a constituency where the party had not been traditionally strong.
“In 2007 we did not have a single councillor in the county and got less than 3 per cent of the vote in Donegal South West. Now we have three county councillors and a candidate in a position to fight for a seat in the general election,” he said.
Mr Gilmore said the “most significant aspect” of the byelection was “the collapse in support for Fianna Fail which has seen its vote fall from 50 per cent to just over 20 per cent.
“If this pattern were to be repeated in a general election, Fianna Fáil would face political wipe-out.”
The Labour leader congratulated Pearse Doherty on his “impressive performance”. He added: “Given the fact that he narrowly lost out in the general election and had taken the High Court case, this was always going to work to Pearse Doherty’s advantage.”