The Green Party has lost one of its two MEP seats after Ciarán Cuffe failed to retain his seat in the Dublin constituency of the European Parliament, with counting there completed last night (Tuesday, June 11).
Cuffe was eliminated at the second-last of the 19 counts. However, his transfers did have a bearing on the make-up of the four candidates to take the available seats, with his votes propelling Labour’s Aodhán Ó’Ríordáin into the European Parliament.
It was clear from the first count on Sunday evening (June 9) that sitting MEP Barry Andrews, from Fianna Fáil, and Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty, would eventually get elected.
Cuffe’s transfers allowed both candidates to surpass the quota 75,345 at the last count.
Radio presenter Niall Boylan, of Independent Ireland, had been in with a shout for a seat, having had the third-highest number of votes as of yesterday morning, benefitting significantly from transfers from candidates eliminated early in the count.
However, the tide turned yesterday afternoon and evening (June 11), when the elimination of several candidates of the political left saw transfers benefitting Ó’Ríordáin and Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan at the expense of Niall Boylan.
At the 19th and final count, the distribution of Cuffe’s votes saw Niall Boylan knocked back to last of the five continuing candidates.
As Dublin is a four-seat constituency, his subsequent elimination saw Ó’Ríordáin and Lynn Boylan elected without reaching the quota.
They will join Andrews and Doherty as Ireland’s MEPs for Dublin in the next European Parliament. Of the currently sitting four candidates, only Andrews retains his seat, as Cuffe and Clare Daly failed to be elected and Frances Fitzgerald did not run.
Outside Dublin
Outside Dublin, it’s very much as we were yesterday morning, with only one candidate, sitting MEP for Fine Gael Seán Kelly, elected at this point.
He surpassed the quota in the Ireland South constituency of 114,761 late on Monday, polling well ahead of all other candidates.
After nine counts, no other candidates have reached the quota, but Fianna Fáil’s sitting MEP Billy Kelleher is in a very strong position, with over 94,000 votes, and he is virtually certain to be elected.
After Kelleher, the five-seat constituency is tight, with about 10,000 votes separating five candidates, namely Michael McNamara (independent), Cynthia Ní Mhurchú (Fianna Fáil), Mick Wallace (Independents 4 Change), Kathleen Funchion (Sinn Féin), and sitting MEP Grace O’ Sullivan (Green Party).
There is a notable gap between these candidates and those below them, which include Independent Ireland candidate and former general secretary of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) Eddie Punch, who is likely to be eliminated early today when counting resumes.
And finally, turning to the five-seat Midlands North West constituency, after 10 counts there is little change to report. Although no candidate has reached the 113,325 quota, independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan is on course to retain his seat, with 81,663 votes at the moment, more than any other candidate.
The top-five at the close of counting last night is unchanged from Monday night, with the next four candidates after Flanagan, in descending order, being Nina Carberry (Fine Gael), Barry Cowen (Fianna Fáil), sitting MEP Maria Walsh (Fine Gael), and Ciaran Mullooly (Independent Ireland).
TD Peadar Tóibín from Aontú still has the eighth-highest number votes, and sitting Sinn Féin MEP Chris MacManus is still polling with the 10th-highest number of votes.
The only Green Party candidate in this constituency, Pauline O’Reilly, was eliminated after the last count of the night.