Irish Opposition Poised for Narrow Win

DUBLIN, Ireland — Ireland’s opposition Fianna Fail party was heading for a narrow win over Prime Minister John Bruton’s ruling coalition in Friday’s parliamentary elections, according to an exit poll in today’s Irish Times.

But the survey indicated that Fianna Fail and its Progressive Democratic allies may not have enough of the 166 seats in Parliament to form a government on their own, it said.

The poll suggested that the right-leaning opposition coalition may have to court support among small parties, including the Green Party.

Hours before the official start of the vote count today, the newspaper said that Bruton’s ruling “Rainbow Coalition” had no chance of being elected.

The poll showed Fianna Fail winning 44% of the vote and the Progressive Democrats 4%.

“I believe the people of Ireland want to see change,” Bertie Ahern, the Fianna Fail leader, said as he cast his vote.

Bruton said Friday that he was confident that voters would break with history and return an incumbent government for the first in time in almost 30 years.

“I think there is no doubt people will go for the Rainbow,” Bruton said as he cast his vote under blustery skies.

But the Irish Times survey predicted that Bruton’s Fine Gael party would win 27%, and its liberal Labor Party and socialist Democratic Left Party allies would win 8% and 3%, respectively.

The Greens, anti-abortion groups and Sinn Fein, the political wing of Northern Ireland’s Irish Republican Army, are among the smaller parties seen winning seats in Parliament.