Fianna Fáil support has fallen significantly while that of the main Opposition parties has grown strongly, according to the latest Irish Times/TNS mrbi opinion poll.
Since the last poll in late February, Fianna Fáil support has dropped six points, down to the levels it received after the 2002 General Election.
Over the same three-month period support for Fine Gael has risen by 3 points to 25 per cent while that of its proposed voting pact partner Labour has grown by two points to 14 per cent.
There is good news too for Sinn Féin, which had seen its support drop due to the combined pressures of the Northern Bank robbery and the killing of Belfast man Robert McCartney.
Party support in the State is now 11 per cent, up two points since February and a return to the party’s post-Christmas level.
The state of the parties is: Fianna Fáil 32 per cent, down 6 per cent; Fine Gael 25 per cent, up 3; Labour 14 per cent, up 2; Sinn Féin 11 per cent, up 2; Green Party 4 per cent, unchanged; Progressive Democrats 4 per cent, up 1 while Independents and Others have dropped 3 per cent to 9.
A possible alternative coalition of Fine Gael, Labour and the Greens would now have a combined 43 per cent, seven points ahead of the Government parties 36 per cent. Both grouping would probably require additional support of either Independents or Sinn Féin to form a majority Government.
The poll results comes after criticism for the Government on the health front, in particular the revelations of nursing home over-charging and difficulties in appointing a chief executive for the Health Service Executive.
The poll was taken last Tuesday and Wednesday, June 7th and June 8th, among a national quota sample of 1,000 voters throughout all constituencies in the State.
The combined totals reach only 99 per cent due to a rounding off process carried out by the pollsters.