Fianna Fáil has played down a poll that shows the party is set for the first overall majority in 25 years.
The IMS poll shows Fianna Fáil on 49 per cent and Fine Gael down one point to 20 per cent. It put Labour steady at 11 per cent, Independents at 9 per cent, the Greens and Sinn Féin at 4 per cent each and the Progressive Democrats at 3 per cent.
But at a press conference in Dublin this morning Fianna Fáil Chief Whip Mr Seamus Brennan said his analysis of the situation was that his party would not form a single-party government after the May 17th vote.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin agreed, saying: "What is imported to remember is that nobody has voted yet".
Fine Gael TD Mr John Bruton said the poll was a "wake-up call" for voters claiming that the last overall Fianna Fáil majority in 1977 "ruined this country".
Labour TD Ms Liz McManus said opinion polls could not be relied on, pointing to failures of polls to predict the outcome of the Nice and Abortion referendums.
But the poll, commissioned by the Irish Independent, also shows voters would prefer a coalition arrangement, with only 23 per cent wanting a single-party Fianna Fáil government. Even most Fianna Fáil supporters (51 per cent) said they would prefer a coalition.
A Labour/Fianna Fáil pact appears to be the preferred choice among voters as a quarter of Labour voters give their second preference to Fianna Fáil, the poll shows.
The poll’s other finding’s include:
- 51 per cent disapprove of Mr Ahern canvassing in Mayo with Beverley Cooper Flynn.
- 55 per cent said that the Minister for Sport and Tourism, Mr McDaid, should not resign over his remarks on suicide.
- 34 per cent said Fianna Fáil has run the best campaign
IMS conducted the poll among 1,110 voters at 100 centres nationwide on Saturday.