Irish vote in poll dominated by economic woes

Irish vote in poll dominated by economic woes

DUBLIN: Irish voters are set to oust their government Friday in elections dominated by the collapse of the economy and a widely hated bailout, which would make Dublin the first to fall victim to an EU debt crisis.

Polls opened at 7:00 am (0700 GMT) with 3.1 million people eligible to vote, and many were expected to give a harsh verdict on the eurozone country's traditional party of government, Fianna Fail.

Voting ends at 10:00 pm (2200 GMT) but the pattern will not become clear until Saturday, although the complicated counting required for Ireland's single transferable vote system means full results are not expected until Sunday.

In November, Ireland was forced to go cap in hand to the European Union and International Monetary Fund for an 85-billion-euro ($115 billion) bailout after a debt crisis centred on the banks threatened to spiral out of control.

It was the second Euro zone nation after Greece to seek help and the deal is widely viewed as a humiliation here particularly given that just a few years ago, Ireland's roaring "Celtic Tiger" economy had been the envy of the world.

At one polling station in North Dublin, Brendan Buckley, 47, a civil servant, said Fianna Fail was "getting a good kicking and they deserve it.

"I give them a lot of blame for what happened, as well as the international recession.

"Their tactics and policies have been atrocious. They are get1ting their comeuppance now."

The main opposition Fine Gael party has ridden the wave of outrage to finish at 38-40 percent in the polls, although most analysts believe it will fall short of a majority in the 166-member Dail (parliament).

Its leader Enda Kenny, a 59-year-old former teacher, will almost certainly be the new Taoiseach, or prime minister, replacing the discredited Brian Cowen of Fianna Fail.

Polls show that more than 80 percent of Irish people want the deal amended.

In a sign of the anger felt towards the party, residents in one house in Dublin put up a poster saying: "No votes for Fianna Fail in this house!"

The party is led by former foreign minister Micheal Martin, who took over after Cowen bowed to months of pressure over his handling of the economy and quit the leadership in January. Cowen is not standing in Friday's vote.