Despite having spent the last four years in Government, the Green Party is potentially facing a total wipeout in the current election.

The two Civil War parties are in pole position to once again form the core of the next coalition. Tallies suggest that Fianna Fáil could return with the highest share of first-preference votes, followed by Fine Gael in second and Sinn Féin in third, in a reversal of Friday night’s exit poll.

The two main parties in the outgoing Irish government have again ruled out Sinn Fein as a potential coalition partner in the next government. The leaders of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin were taking part in a TV debate just days before the general election.

The protracted process of counting votes in Ireland’s General Election will begin as an exit poll put the three main parties virtually tied.

How do you go from jumping down each other’s throats to jumping back into bed together in the space of days? And how do you expect voters to trust you?

Stakes were high for the main political parties of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin going into this election, with polls showing them neck and neck.

As nearly 3.7m voters head to the polls, what does the path to power look like for Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael?

Exit poll indicates Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil are heading back into power – but which smaller grouping will join them? It’s that Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are bunched together as the three main parties, and they’re running neck and neck — hard as those necks are.