As counting in Ireland's general election finished early Sunday, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's ruling Fianna F ail (FF) party had won 78 seats in the 166-seat Dail (lower house of parliament) and was seeking coalition partners to give Ahern a record third term as Taoiseach, DPA reported. The opposition Fine Gael (FG) party finished up with 51 seats, Labour took 20 seats, the Greens won six and Sinn Fein, the political wing of the dormant Irish Republican Army, ended up with four. A collapse in the Progressive Democrat (PD) vote saw Ahern's current coalition partner's seats reduced to two, while independent candidates took the remaining five seats. Speaking to Sky News Sunday, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said that his priority was to ensure that the next government was credible, with longevity and stability. He also said that there were a number of independents who were fairly close to the Fianna Fail party, together with the two PDs, who were options for partnership. He said the Green Party was "another consideration." A coalition with the Labour Party was, however, "less likely" but he would give it "some thought." Ahern said his coalition wouldn't include Sinn Fein, as they had been ruled out early on in the campaign.
