Remote Irish islands cast votes in election
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is facing a tough challenge in Saturday's (February 8) election as Irish republican party Sinn Fein has emerged as a favourite, according to opinion polls.
The left-wing Sinn Fein shocked the country when it emerged as the most popular party in an opinion poll released on Monday (February 3), with 25% of support, up from 14% support in the 2016 vote.
The party is likely running too few candidates to lead the next administration and its rivals, Varadkar's Fine Gael and centre-right Fianna Fail, say they will not form a coalition government with it.
Many Irish voters still oppose Sinn Fein for its role as the political wing of the IRA during a decades-long fight against British rule in Northern Ireland in which some 3,600 people were killed.
