Support for Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, surged in Ireland’s national elections on Saturday, according to exit polls. If the exit polls prove accurate, the vote boiled down to a three-way tie in a three-way race between Sinn Fein, Mr. Varadkar’s Fine Gael party and the leading opposition party, Fianna Fail. This would give Sinn Fein a shot at joining the next coalition government. A joint exit poll commissioned by The Irish Times and state broadcaster RTE showed Fine Gael at 22.4 percent, Sinn Fein at 22.3 percent and Fianna Fail at 22.2 percent. It capitalized on frustrations over housing and health care crises largely blamed on Mr. Varadkar’s party.

Source: New York Times February 08, 2020 23:20 UTC