Ireland is not the only country where the Government's intervention in the media cast a shadow on elections. In Italy, controversy arose over Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's use of phone messages to contact voters.
At least 30 million Italian mobile phone users received a text message from Berlusconi on Thursday or Friday reminding them to vote.
Critics including opposition politicians and consumer groups attacked what they said was an invasion of privacy and a subtle suggestion to vote for the prime minister's coalition.
Mr Berlusconi claimed the messages were "intended to inform and help Italians".
But the move prompted a backlash with phone users spreading text anti-Berlusconi messages. "PM's office - June 12 and 13 DON'T vote Berlusconi," read one, telling the recipient to forward the text to 10 friends.
Another, purporting to be from the prime minister, said: "Don't vote for me ... I want to go home."
But the Italian PM remained confident saying his Forza Italia party will get 25 percent of the vote in an election that has become something of a referendum on his 2-1/2 years in office.
Elsewhere today, Latvia became the first ex-Soviet republic to vote in Ruepean Parliament elections while two other new members - Malta and the Czech Republic - began voting yesterday. Most states go to the polls tomorrow in the world's biggest ever cross-border election.
Britain, the Netherlands and Ireland have already voted and counts are ongoing.