Support for Fine Gael is at its lowest level since 2005, a poll for the Business Post suggests. 

If an election were held tomorrow, the party would receive the first preferences of only 20% of Irish voters - down 1% since the last poll. 

Its coalition partners, Fianna Fáil, were even less popular, receiving the support of 17% of the electorate - down 2%. 

While Sinn Féin continue to ride high; Mary Lou McDonald’s party is backed by 33% of people - the same score it received in the last two polls. 

Meanwhile, the Green party was supported by 5% of the electorate.

A Sinn Féin Government?

Michael Brennan, political editor of the Business Post, said it was clear that Sinn Féin’s continued strong performance was worrying the Government parties: 

“Sinn Féin would be the lead party to set up a new Government,” Mr Brennan told Newstalk. 

“It would still need, on 33%, most likely Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael to come in as a coalition partner because it would be very difficult to agree enough support from all the other parties like Labour, the Social Democrats, the Greens, independents and so on. 

“But Sinn Féin is in pole position and that is why it is the target of those big attacks from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.” 

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald with party colleagues on Grand Canal Dock, Dublin. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Pension age

The poll also found that an overwhelming majority of Irish people are against increasing the state pension age to 69. Only 13% fully supported the measure; however, neither did most people want to see taxes rise to pay for pensions. 

“The vast majority of people want the state pension to stay at 66 [and] not go up to 67 in a couple of years time - as has been proposed by the Commission on Pensions,” Mr Brennan said. 

“But at the same time, most people appear unwilling to make any other changes that would pay for the cost of keeping the pension age at 66.”

Main image: Leo Varadkar. Picture by: George Sweeney / Alamy