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Padraig Fleming looks set to top the poll for Fianna Fáil and take the first seat in the Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District.
And it looks almost certain that Tom Mulhall (Fine Gael) and Aidan Mullins (Sinn Féin) will be elected on the first count after polling very strongly too.
Paschal McEvoy (Fianna Fáil) will be just short of the quota while Ben Brennan (Independent) will be comfortable too. Aisling Moran (Fine Gael) currently sits in sixth position according to the Fine Gael tallies ahead of Labour’s Eoin Barry.
The results of the Fine Gael tally are:
- Padraig Fleming (Fianna Fáil) – 1,725
- Aidan Mullins (Sinn Féin) – 1,488
- Tom Mulhall (Fine Gael) – 1,449
- Paschal McEvoy (Fianna Fáil) – 1,339
- Ben Brennan (Independent) – 1,233
- Aisling Moran (Fine Gael) – 895
- Eoin Barry (Labour) – 736
- Vivienne Phelan (Fine Gael) – 531
- Deirdre O’Connell-Hopkins (Fianna Fáil) – 337
Barry, a first-time candidate from Wolfhill, has performed very well for Labour but he’s likely to fall short in the battle for the sixth seat behind Aisling Moran. Also a first-time candidate, Moran looks set to hold onto the seat for Fine Gael, one held by her father John since 1991 up to his recent retirement.
With the quota likely to be just under 1,400, it means that Fleming will have a surplus of over 300.
Having first been elected in 2009, it will be the first time for Fleming, brother of Laois TD Sean, to top the poll after he saw his vote increase across the district.
Aidan Mullins will be returned for a second time but his vote has held steady to what it was five years ago.
Mulhall and Brennan have gained support while Paschal McEvoy has increased his support massively from his first-time success in 2014.
Vivienne Phelan (Fine Gael) and Deirdre O’Connell-Hopkins (Fianna Fáil) are next in – again both running for the first time but not going to be in the mix on this occasion.
Tallying across all three districts has come to a conclusion in St Mary’s Hall.
The votes are now being moved to the official count centre in Kealew Business Park where the counting will get underway.
Results from the first count are expected later this evening with the counting expected to continue right through Sunday and possibly even into Monday.
SEE ALSO – Stay with LaoisToday throughout the evening for all the drama on our Live Blog
