The Government has emerged unscathed from the abortion referendum defeat, according to the first opinion poll since the vote last Wednesday.
Satisfaction with the Coalition is down just one percentage point to 59 since the last IMS/ Sunday Independentpoll in December.
Fifty one per cent of those polled said they intended to vote for Fianna F´at the next election, 21 per cent favoured Fine Gael, Labour polled 10 per cent, the Progressive Democrats and Sinn Féin are equal at five per cent, four per cent intend to vote for the Green Party and Others will also get four per cent of the vote, according to the poll.
Twice the number of voters (38 per cent) favour the current Fianna Fáil/PDs Coalition returning to power as favour a Fianna Fáil/Labour arrangement. Twenty two per cent of those polled said they favoured a Rainbow coalitin of Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party.
Satisfaction with Fianna Fáil leader Mr Bertie Ahern is unchanged at 69 per cent; PD leader Ms Harney is up five points at 63 per cent, Labour leader Mr Ruairi Quinn is up seven points at 47 per cent. Fine Gael leader Mr Michael Noonan’s satisfaction rating remains unchanged at 32 per cent, but voter dissatisfaction with him has increased seven points to 45 per cent.
Mr Trevor Sargent’s satisfaction rating is at 39 per cent - his first rating as party leader. The Sinn Féin leader Mr Gerry Adams has seen a drop of 10 points to 49 per cent in his satisfaction rating.