Voters throughout the State will today choose 15 MEPs and 1,627 local authority members in polls which will have major long-term implications for the main political parties. Politicians fear a low turnout, saying they have encountered more voter apathy in the run-up to today's polls than on any previous occasion.
Some 2.8 million people are entitled to vote in elections which are seen as crucial tests both of Fianna Fail's ability to hold its level of public support despite recent controversies, and the opposition parties' ability to build towards the next election.
For the Progressive Democrats, the local government elections could determine whether the party has a long-term future, with the party badly needing to have councillors elected in key constituencies so they can build towards being credible Dail candidates in the next general election.
Fine Gael will be seeking to make gains after recent opinion poll results showed it failing to capitalise on difficulties for the Government. Labour, meanwhile, will be seeking evidence that its merger with Democratic Left is paying dividends.
Voters will also be asked today to vote in a referendum to approve an amendment to the Constitution giving recognition to local government. Polling stations will open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. There will be three separate ballot papers in most polling stations, with four in the remainder. Voters will vote in the referendum on local government, for candidates for the European Parliament and for candidates for election to the county council or borough council. In many urban areas there will be urban local elections to urban district councils or town commissions.
The number of candidates for county and city councils has fallen from the 1,973 who ran in the last local elections in 1991 to 1,839 this time around, according to figures compiled by the General Council of County Councils. These statistics do not include urban district councils and town commissions.
The most notable drop is by the PDs who are running 62 candidates, just below half of the 125 they ran last time. Fianna Fail are running a third of the total number of candidates - 604. Fine Gael is fielding 461, Labour 215, the Green Party 83 and Sinn Fein 70.