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Sinn Féin support since election soars

Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams
Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams

Support for Sinn Féin in the Republic has almost doubled since the last general election, the latest opinion poll shows.

According to the Sunday Business Post/Red C tracking poll of the year, Sinn Féin support has risen from 10 per cent at the time of the 2011 election to 19 per cent in recent days. It is the highest rating for the party so far this year and appears to come at some cost to Fianna Fáil and the independents.

The ruling Fine Gael-Labour coalition has enjoyed a lift in popularity, the poll shows, with support for Enda Kenny's party rising by one point to 32 per cent and Labour increasing by two points to nine per cent.

Sinn Féin is up one point on last month's poll, whereas Fianna Fáil dropped two points to 17 per cent with the independents slipping by a similar margin to 23 per cent.

The poll confirms a pattern of increased support for the government parties ahead of the general election, which looks increasingly likely take place in late February.

While Fine Gael leads the field, its share of the vote is still notably smaller than the 36 per cent it commanded at the last election. Labour has witnessed the greatest dive, however, with support dwindling by nine points from from 2011's 19 per cent share.

The poll was conducted among over 1,000 voters across the Republic early last week.