Tight three-way race in Irish general election, RTÉ exit poll suggests

Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are astir cervix and cervix erstwhile it comes to their stock of the ballot successful the Irish wide predetermination 2024, according to the results of an exit poll.

The poll, carried retired by Ipsos B&A for RTÉ, The Irish Times, TG4 and Trinity College Dublin, indicates Sinn Féin and Fine Gael are astir adjacent connected 21.1% and 21%, with Fianna Fáil adjacent down connected 19.5%.

The borderline of mistake is 1.4%.

The canvass indicates Green Party archetypal penchant enactment stands astatine 4%; Labour astatine 5%; the Social Democrats astatine 5.8%; People Before Profit-Solidarity astatine 3.1%; and Independents astatine 12.7%, Independent Ireland 2.2% with others connected 1.9%.

The canvass is based connected 5,018 completed interviews that were carried retired instantly aft radical voted astatine polling stations successful 43 constituencies crossed the Republic of Ireland.

The results from this canvass acceptable the country for the authoritative counting of votes which starts astatine 09:00 section clip connected Saturday and is expected to proceed crossed the weekend.

It is imaginable that immoderate of the 43 constituencies whitethorn not person a last effect until the opening of adjacent week.

Successful candidates are known arsenic Teachtaí Dála (TDs) and determination are 174 seats to fill, but the Ceann Comhairle (speaker) is returned automatically.

More than 680 candidates competed for the stay 173 seats.

The fig of seats required for an wide bulk is 88 but nary azygous enactment is fielding capable candidates to triumph a bulk connected its own.

The archetypal gathering of the caller Dáil (lower location of parliament) is connected 18 December but it is improbable conjugation negotiations volition person finished by then.

There volition beryllium coverage of the predetermination results connected BBC Two NI astatine 18:00 GMT connected Saturday and connected BBC One NI connected Sunday Politics astatine 10:00 GMT.

The BBC News NI website volition beryllium moving a unrecorded leafage with the latest updates implicit the weekend.