Vote-counting in a historic election in Ireland is under way – and “all is still to play for”, according to one of the running candidates.
For the first time ever, Irish citizens will select its first directly-elected mayor.
The first count in the Limerick election is expected later on Monday afternoon.
It is the first time Irish citizens will elect their first local mayor, in what is seen as a test case for the rest of the state.
A total of 15 candidates are running for the mayor’s seat.
Dozens of staff are counting the votes at Limerick Racecourse, which is being used as a count centre.
Independent candidate John Moran is leading the race on 24 per cent, according to tallies.
He is followed closely by another independent candidate, Helen O’Donnell.
Other candidates vying to become Limerick’s first directly-elected minister are Fianna Fáil candidate Dee Ryan and Fine Gael’s Daniel Butler.
Ms O’Donnell said she believes all is still to play for.
“I’ve been in a lot of elections where it’s right down to the wire and right down to last elimination,” she said.
“It’s all to play for, and we simply don’t know what the result is. We look for transfers as strongly as we look for number one votes.
“Hopefully that will stand to us and we’ve had an amazing canvass and an amazing team and Limerick people are watching a historic election.”
She said the election of a mayor for the county will be “really positive” for the area.
She added: “It’s going to be a blueprint for other parts of Ireland to follow. We want to get it right, and we want to get the right person in there and all the candidates have been amazing, and really good to work with. May the best person win.”
She said that it is important for an independent candidate to work with all elected councillors and council staff.
“I think to be collaborative and to be a team player is very important. I’ve said that from the get go, as an independent, you need a stronger working relationship than if you were siloed into a party,” she added.
Minister for Further and Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan said that the tallies come with a “huge health warning”.
“While the tallies for the local elections were very accurate, even some of the tally people that were here themselves said that there are there are substantial gaps,” Mr O’Donovan told PA news agency.
“I think you have to take it with a health warning. If the quota is 50%, no-one will reach 50% so this will go on for a long time.
“The transfers ultimately will decide where it goes. The number of non-transferable votes will decide where it goes. It really is way too early to predict anything.
“They’ve only started counting in the last hour. They only started the ballot papers so there won’t be a first count here for until later.
“You won’t see a trend developing here until you start to see second, third, fourth counts and it’s just too early.
“I don’t know whether that gap that the tallymen predicted is actually going to be the gap at the end, or whether it’s going to be substantially smaller than that.
“We just have to wait and see. I wouldn’t predict it anyway at the moment.”
The 15 candidates are:
Sarah Beasley of Aontu; Daniel Butler of Fine Gael; Independent Frankie Daly; Ruairi Fahy of People Before Profit; Laura Keyes of Rabharta; Brian Leddin of the Green Party; Indepedent John Moran; Caitriona Ni Chathain of the Socialist Party; Independent Helen O’Donnell; Elisa O’Donovan of the Social Democrats; Indepedent Colm O’Morain; Maurice Quinlivan of Sinn Féin; Dee Ryan of Fianna Fáil; Conor Sheehan of the Labour party and Gerben Uunk of The Animal Welfare Party.
