Brisk start to by-election voting
Voting started briskly this morning in two by-elections in Kildare North and Meath.
Returning officers in both Leinster constituencies said there had been a steady trickle of voters since polling began at 7am.
The 136 voting stations in Kildare North and 208 booths in Meath will remain open until 10pm tonight.
A spokesperson for the Returning Officer in Kildare North said: “Presiding officers and their poll clerks have been busy since opening and no problems have been reported. It will be much later before we will be able to gauge the level of turnout.”
A spokesperson for the Returning Officer in Meath said: “People were voting on their way to work to avoid queues and traffic congestion.”
Counting will begin tomorrow in Navan and Naas counting centres for the by-elections, which had a short, intensive campaign.
Fianna Fáil will be aiming to profit from recent healthy opinion polls and build a platform for an overall majority at the next General Election.
The Government party will also be hoping to shake off political shockwaves from the recent illegal nursing home charges debacle.
But opposition parties Fine Gael and Labour will need to poll strongly to offer a credible alternative administration at the next General Election.
The by-election in Meath was caused by the exit of former Taoiseach John Bruton to Washington as EU Ambassador.
Former finance minister Charlie McCreevy vacated his seat in Kildare North to become Internal Market Commissioner in the EU.
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