Irish opposition party ahead in early election returns

By Peter Taggart, For CNN

(CNN) — The make-up of Ireland’s new government should become clear Sunday.

As vote counting continues in the country’s first general election since it accepted a multi-billion dollar financial bailout, the numbers seem to favor the main opposition party — Fine Gael.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny is now almost certain to become Ireland’s new prime minister.

A question marks remain on whether he will have enough seats to form a government or will have to rely on independents or a coalition with the center-left Labour Party.

According to election officials, Fine Gael had 58 of the first 127 members elected to the parliament, with Labour running second on 30 seats, Fianna Fail 14, Sinn Fein 12 and independents and others 13.

A total of 166 members will be returned to the parliament when the vote counting ends.

The poll has produced a huge swing against the main ruling party Fianna Fail, which has slumped to its worst ever election showing.

Fianna Fail has ruled Ireland for 60 of the last 80 years, but has been hit hard by the fall-out from the economic bailout and subsequent austerity measures.

The Dublin government late last year negotiated an €85 billion ($113 billion) loan package from the European Union, International Monetary Fund and individual European nations, as the crippling cost of bailing out its banks during the financial crisis took its toll on national coffers.

Irish prime minister Brian Cowen was so unpopular he had to step down as leader of Fianna Fail before the election.

His likely replacement as prime minister, Kenny, had made it clear during the election campaign he would try to renegotiate the terms of the international bailout.

However, given the dire state of the country’s public finances, the new government will have no option but to continue with austerity measures.

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said the election results represented “a new era” for Irish politics.

He gambled his political future by moving from Northern Ireland to stand in the Republic for the first time. He has scored a significant victory, topping the poll in his constituency of Louth on the first count in the proportional representation election.