Print

Mail

wiki links

Irish PM battles for his political life as elections draw near

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern is battling for his political life this week as the nation's 3 million voters go to the polls, with the two main political groupings running neck-and-neck.

Ahern, who has overseen an economic boom for much of the past decade, is seeking a record third straight term for his center-right Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrat coalition in Thursday's general election.

But Ahern has a fight on his hands with a center-left alliance of the Fine Gael-Labour parties led by Enda Kenny threatening to unseat him as the economy shows signs of a slowdown.

The eventual kingmakers may be the smaller Green and Sinn Fein parties who could end up holding the balance of power in the 166-seat Dail, or lower house of parliament.

"Defending Ireland's prosperity has never been more important than it is today, at a time when rising interest rates, energy costs and increased global competition threaten our economy," Ahern says.

Pundits note that the poll race has taken on the air of a presidential contest, with pictures of Ahern and Kenny dominating the posters on the nation's lampposts.

Both men are amiable, populist leaders with similar styles -- they shine on the hustings when they are glad-handing the voters during campaigning sweeps around the country.

Throughout the country's 43 constituencies local issues and personalities will likely be major factors, in the absence of any big ideological gulf between the two main coalition blocs.

Ahern will hope to capitalize on the "Bertie-factor" as polls show that, while his party's support has slipped, his own ratings have held up and are ahead of Kenny's.

But depending on Thursday's ballot results, the Greens are expected to back the opposition alliance and join them to form a Rainbow coalition.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has joined Kenny in hammering home a message of ending the waste of taxpayers' money and bringing "joined up thinking" and more efficiency to government.

"We have not used the fruits of growth to build the kind of society that our people deserve, or that we can be proud to bequeath to our children," Rabbitte said.

Other coalition combinations could emerge after the vote if there is an inconclusive "hung" Dail and parties reappraise potential alliances as they struggle to put together a majority.

Parties have been dismissing the acceptability of Gerry Adam's Sinn Fein because of its links to the Irish Republican Army.

But former lawmaker and Fine Gael minister Ivan Yates, who is now a bookie, believes the reservations would swiftly vanish in a tight finish.

If the party has the numbers, Yates said "people who have been slow to shake Gerry Adams's hand before the election will be giving him a bear hug after the election".

Fine Gael say the polls are showing there is a mood for change and leading bookmaker Paddy Power has made a Fine Gael-Labour-Green victory the strong favorite at even money odds.

The second favorite is a coalition re-alignment with Fianna Fail and Labour in partnership at five to two.

Ahern's outgoing coalition is down the list at sixth choice with odds of seven to one.
This story has been viewed 894 times.