Exit poll:The controversy over the personal finances of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had a very limited effect on how people voted in the election, the findings of an exit poll has suggested, with 75 per cent of respondents stating it had no influence on how they voted.
The poll, carried out by Lansdowne Market Research for RTÉ, found that 75 per cent said that choosing a candidate to look after the needs of the constituency was the main factor in their voting decision.
Just 24 per cent said that choosing between the policies set out by the political parties was the principal issue in their voting decision, while 22 per cent said the choice of taoiseach was the primary factor.
When asked about specific issues which influenced them, 45 per cent of respondents mentioned health as having influenced their vote. The next highest issue was crime, which was mentioned by 25 per cent of voters. Managing the economy was mentioned by 23 per cent of respondents as having influenced their voting decision.
According to the poll, 28 per cent of voters said they made their decision in the last week of the election, which was marginally more than in 2002. One in five voters said they switched their vote to another party since 2002. A further 20 per cent said they decided in the previous three weeks.
The exit poll was based on a sample of 3,206 voters, taken as they left 166 polling stations across the 43 constituencies. It showed Fianna Fáil at 41.6 per cent.
The exit poll showed Fine Gael at 26.3 per cent, up four points on the 2002 exit poll. Labour was at 9.9 per cent, down from 12 per cent in 2002.