The Green Party has made a final appeal for electoral support saying it is the only bulwark against the tide of arrogance and corruption in Irish politics.
Speaking at the party's last press conference of the campaign, its leader, Mr Trevor Sargent TD, said the three-week campaign had failed to make the connection between corrupt decisions by established parties and the problems coming up on the doorsteps.
He said the Green Party was the only one offering the electorate a vote for change.
"This election has been seen as lacklustre but it is actually a dishonest election because commentators have taken the newly declared interest of the established parties in quality-of-life issues as genuine," he said.
"From a Green Party point of view, this new interest rings very hollow because they are the problems that have been created by the same establishment parties in the way they went about our local authorities' rezoning and cozying up to big business interests," he said. These actions had sentenced communities to impoverished living conditions, poor housing, lack of public transport and substandard schools.
Mr Sargent said it was amazing that when his party held a conference on corruption, it got little coverage.
That the tribunals set up by Fianna Fáil were thwarted and prevented from doing their work by members of that same party was "apparently not as big an issue as the one-liners and showbiz features of the main party leaders", he said.
It was perverse that this Government claimed to be interested in quality-of-life issues and the future of this country when they were making it more vulnerable for some sections of society.
"The amount of crocodile tears that have been shed in this election campaign would fill the swimming pools of the richest people in society who have benefited from this government," he said.
Mr John Gormley TD appealed to voters to give their number ones to his party so it could set about "greening the political agenda".
"If you are tired of the sleaze and croneyism and arrogance in Irish politics then vote number one for the Green Party," he said.
"We are meeting lots of voters who say they will give us a preference but if they are voting strategically they should give the Greens their number one."
The party, who is fielding seven candidates including Cllr Eamon Ryan in Dublin South and Cllr Ciarán Cuffe in Dún Laoghaire, did not rule out coalition with Fianna Fáil after the election.
"We will talk to other parties but they would have to change for us to go into government with them," Mr Gormley said.