The majority of people would prefer Paschal Donohoe or Simon Coveney as Fine Gael leader than Simon Harris, according to the latest polls. 

The latest Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll suggests most people are not excited about Mr Harris’ impending leadership. 

Some 21% of people would prefer Public Expenditure Minister Donohoe as leader, while another 21% would prefer Deputy Fine Gael leader Coveney. 

Among all voters, Mr Harris lagged behind in approval rating at 16%. However, among Fine Gael supporters, the incoming leader has a 32% approval rating, compared to 25% each for Mr Coveney and Mr Donohoe. 

Nominations for the Fine Gael leadership bid close at 1pm today, with Mr Harris expected to be the only contender. 

Some 46% said Mr Harris did not have enough experience to be successful, while 36% said yes and 18% said they don’t know. 

Support for Fine Gael

The poll also suggests Leo Varadkar’s shock resignation on Wednesday offered a small boost to the party. 

Support for Fine Gael rose by two points to 22%, while Sinn Féin remains unchanged at 27%, the most popular party in the country. 

Fianna Fáil polled at 19%, a one-point drop, while the Green Party was unchanged at 4%. 

The Social Democrats dropped by one point to 6%, while Aontú increased by two points to 4%. 

The Labour Party, who is having the annual national conference this weekend, was unchanged at 4%. 

A separate poll by The Business Post conducted before Mr Varadkar’s resignation did not see major differences in the country’s biggest parties.  

Support for Fine Gael polled at 19%, while Sinn Féin remained the most popular party at 25% but saw a 3% decline. 

Fianna Fáil had 16% support while the Greens once again polled at 4%. 

The only significant difference between the two polls is support for independent politicians. While The Sunday Independent saw a three-point drop in support for independent politicians at 14%, The Business Post reported an exact opposite three-point rise to 17%.