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Poll shows rise in support for Labour and FG

Bertie Ahern - Drop in support for Fianna Fáil
Bertie Ahern - Drop in support for Fianna Fáil

There has been a big swing in support away from the Government towards the alternative Rainbow coalition.

Polling company tns/MRBI questioned more than 1000 voters, at 100 locations covering every constituency in the country.

The results, to be published in tomorrow's Irish Times, show a big shift in support towards a potential Fine Gael/Labour coalition, possibly as a result of Labour's decision a fortnight ago to agree to negotiate a pre-election pact.

The figures show that support for Fianna Fáil is at 32%, down 6% since the last similar poll in February.

Fine Gael is at 25%, an increase of 3%, giving the party its highest rating in five years. Labour is at 14%, a rise of 2%.

Support for Sinn Féin, at 11%, is also up 2%, a recovery after the dip the party suffered following the Northern Bank robbery and the murder of Robert McCartney. While the PDs are up 1% to 4%.

The Greens, who recently decided not to enter a pre-election pact with Fine Gael and Labour, are unchanged at 4%..

This means that support for the two Government parties, at 36%, is behind the combined rating for Fine Gael and Labour at 39%.