Early results show Sinn Fein is set to win at least 36 seats in parliament and finish a close second in the popular vote, nearly doubling its vote share from the 2016 election
Irish republican Sinn Fein party leader Mary Lou McDonald, centre, celebrates with her supporters after she takes the Dublin Central constituency on the first count in Dublin, Ireland, on Feb. 9, 2020.Ireland’s nationalist party Sinn Fein has ridden a wave of anti-establishment anger and scored a historic election breakthrough that will reshape the country’s political landscape.
The result is a far cry from Sinn Fein’s days as the political arm of the Irish Republican Army, which once made it so toxic that party leaders weren’t allowed to appear on Irish television or radio during the decades of sectarian violence known as the Troubles. Since becoming leader in 2018, Ms. McDonald has managed to move the party away from its controversial past and tap into voter angst about growing inequality, an acute housing shortage and a crumbling healthcare system.
The election results raise questions about the future of Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who leads Fine Gael. Unless his party can lead a coalition, which most observers believe is unlikely, he will have to step down once a new government is in place. The election was “a version of the populist wave that we’re seeing across Europe,” said Dr. Farrell who cited left-wing populists Podemos in Spain and Syriza in Greece as examples. “A lot of the traits that you would expect to find in left-wing populism are the traits that are revealing themselves in support for Sinn Fein. It’s the people feeling left behind.”
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