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Voting in the four Dáil byelections to fill vacancies created by the election of former TDs to the European Parliament last May will take place today (Friday).
The byelections arise from the election of Clare Daly, Frances Fitzgerald, Billy Kelleher and Mick Wallace as MEPs. They vacated Dáil seats in Dublin Fingal, Dublin Mid West, Cork North Central and Wexford respectively.
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm across the four constituencies.
Campaigners across all parties and among Independents expect turnout to be low, with many activists noting voter disinterest as they campaigned from door to door in recent weeks.
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The low level of interest is attributed to lacklustre campaigns and debates, as well as the byelections coming soon after the local and European elections last May.
Campaigners have also said some voters have questioned the need for or importance of the byelections with a general election expected within the first six months of next year.
There are 12 candidates running in Cork North Central; nine in Wexford; 12 in Dublin Fingal; and 13 in Dublin Mid-West.
Fianna Fáil candidates Padraig O’Sullivan and Malcolm Byrne are seen as the favourites in Cork North Central and Wexford respectively. In Wexford, the vote of Fine Gael’s Verona Murphy, who was embroiled in controversy over her comments on asylum seekers, will be closely watched.
Fine Gael’s main hope of winning a seat is with Emer Higgins in Dublin Mid West. The party wants to hold Ms Fitzgerald’s old seat, and has spent thousands on social media adverts for Ms Higgins over recent weeks.
Independent Paul Gogarty is seen as her main rival, and he will hope to pick up transfers as left-wing candidates are eliminated.
Dublin Fingal is viewed as a close contest, with Joe O’Brien of the Green Party and Duncan Smith of Labour said by campaigners to be performing well.
Fianna Fáil’s Lorraine Clifford Lee, who was in controversy earlier in the campaign over derogatory references she made on social media about travellers eight years ago, will also hope to post a strong performance in order to position herself for the general election if she does not win the byelection.
Ballot boxes will be opened at 9am on Saturday morning , and the counts will take place at the National Show Centre, Swords, and Adamstown Community Centre for Dublin Fingal and Dublin Mid West; St Joseph’s Centre in Wexford town and Nemo Rangers GAA club, South Douglas Road, Cork.
It is expected the results will be known by Saturday evening.
A comparable example is the Dublin South West byelection held in October 2014 to fill the vacancy created by the election of Fine Gael’s Brian Hayes to the European Parliament. There were 11 candidates in that contest, which was won by Paul Murphy, then of the Socialist Party. The final result was announced at 7.30pm on the day of the count.
Wexford candidates:
Cinnamon Blackmore (Solidarity/People Before Profit)
Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fáil)
Jim Codd (Aontú)
Karin Dubsky (Green Party)
Charlie Keddy (Independent)
George Lawlor (Labour Party)
Verona Murphy (Fine Gael)
Johnny Mythen (Sinn Féin)
Melissa O'Neill (Irish Freedom Party)
Dublin Mid-West candidates:
David Gardiner (Workers' Party)
Paul Gogarty (Independent)
Emer Higgins (Fine Gael)
Peter Kavanagh (Green Party)
Charlie Keddy (Independent)
Peter Madden (Independent)
Anne-Marie McNally (Social Democrats)
Shane Moynihan (Fianna Fáil)
Ruth Nolan (Independents4Change)
Kellie Sweeney (Solidarity/People Before Profit)
Francis Timmons (Independent)
Joanna Tuffy (Labour Party)
Mark Ward (Sinn Féin)
Dublin Fingal candidates:
Glenn Brady (Independent)
Tracey Carey (Social Democrats)
Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fáil)
Ann Graves (Sinn Féin)
Charlie Keddy (Independent)
Cormac McKay (Independent)
Joe O'Brien (Green Party)
Gemma O'Doherty (Independent)
Dean Mulligan (Independents 4 Change)
James Reilly (Fine Gael)
Peadar O'Kelly (Independent)
Duncan Smith (Labour Party)
Cork North-Central candidates:
Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
Martin Condon (Independent)
James Coughlan (Workers' Party)
Thomas Gould (Sinn Féin)
Sinéad Halpin (Social Democrats)
Charlie Keddy (Independent)
Thomas Kiely (Independent)
John Maher (Labour Party)
Oliver Moran (Green Party)
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Fianna Fáil)
Fiona Ryan (Solidarity/People-Before-Profit)
Finian Toomey (Aontú)