The results of the first count of the European election votes have been released after polls across the EU closed tonight.
Fine Gael’s Mairead McGuinness became the first person elected tonight after she exceeded the quota by 3,053 votes on the first count in the Ireland East constituency.
Her party colleague John Paul Phelan is not expected to hold the second Fine Gael seat although he has refused to concede defeat.
Labour candidate Nessa Childers polled 78,338 first preference votes while Fianna Fáil’s Liam Aylward who had been considered at risk came third on 74,666 votes.
In the Dublin constituency, Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell topped the poll with 96,715 first preference votes while Labour’s Proinsias de Rossa got 83,471 votes, meaning both look safe to take seats.
The third seat is a tight battle between Fianna Fáil’s Eoin Ryan on 55,346 first preference votes, the Socialist Party’s Joe Higgins on 50,510 votes and Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald on 47,928 votes.
In the South, Brian Crowley topped the poll with 118,258 first preference votes, followed by Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly with 92,579 votes.
The third seat will be a fight between Sinn Féin's Toiréasa Ferris on 64,671 first preference votes, Labour’s Alan Kelly on 64,152 votes and Fine Gael's Colm Burke on 53,721 votes. Mr Burke will be hoping transfers from his party colleague will get him over the finish line first.
Independent Marian Harkin topped the poll in the North-West with 84,813 first preference votes after the first count while Declan Ganley looks unlikey to win a seat for Libertas after he finished in fourth place on 70,638 votes, nearly 10,000 votes behind Fine Gael’s Jim Higgins in third place.
Mr Higgins garnered 80,093 first preference votes while Fianna Fáil’s Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher is in second place after the first count on 82,843 votes.
The results of the first count were held back until 9pm when polls across the union closed.
Ireland and 11 other countries had already voted, while voting took place in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden today.
The Netherlands voted on Thursday but released some of the results. The European Commission has asked for an explanation.
A record low of 43.01 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the election, according to a first official estimate published by the assembly today. That compares to a previous low of 45.47 per cent at the last election in 2004.
Surveys had suggested the election was marked by widespread voter apathy and a desire by citizens to punish national governments for their handling of the economic slowdown.