Dublin West by-election, 2011
Encyclopedia
A by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....

 was held in the Dublin West constituency on 27 October 2011 following the death of the Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

 Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

 (TD) and former Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Ireland)
The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...

 Brian Lenihan, Jnr
Brian Lenihan, Jnr
Brian Joseph Lenihan was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and barrister who served in the government of Ireland as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform from 2007 to 2008 and as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011...

 on 10 June 2011. The 2011 Irish presidential election and two constitutional referendums
Irish constitutional referendums, 2011
Two referendums were held simultaneously in Ireland on 27 October 2011, each on a proposed amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. The proposed amendments are on judicial salaries pay cuts, and to provide additional powers to Oireachtas committees....

 were held on the same day.

Patrick Nulty
Patrick Nulty
Patrick Nulty is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for Dublin West at a by-election in October 2011.-Biography:...

 of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...

 was elected after a prolonged count.

Candidates

Thirteen candidates contested the by-election. Four were members of Fingal County Council
Fingal County Council
Fingal County council is the local authority for the county of Fingal in Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that comprised the former Dublin County Council before its abolition and one of four councils in the Dublin Region. The county seat is in Swords, with another major office...

: David McGuinness of Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

, Eithne Loftus of Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

, Patrick Nulty of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...

, and Ruth Coppinger of the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Ireland)
The Socialist Party is a socialist political party active in Ireland. It is a member of the Committee for a Workers' International .Formerly known as Militant Tendency, then Militant Labour, it adopted the name The Socialist Party in 1996. From their foundation in 1972 until the 1980s, members of...

. The other party candidates were Paul Donnelly of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

, Roderic O'Gorman of the Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...

 and Peadar Ó Ceallaigh of Fís Nua
Fís Nua
Fís Nua is a minor political party in the Republic of Ireland.The party was formed in June 2010, mainly by former members of the Green Party who were unhappy with that party's participation in the then coalition government with Fianna Fáil...

.

There were six independent candidates: Gary Bermingham, a satirical actor and artist; Benny Cooney, a FÁS
Foras Áiseanna Saothair
An Foras Áiseanna Saothair , referred to in English as the Training and Employment Authority and commonly known as FÁS , is a state agency in Ireland with responsibility for assisting those seeking employment...

 employee; Brendan Doris, an architect; Barry Caesar Hunt, a contestant in The Apprentice
The Apprentice (Irish TV series)
The Apprentice is an Irish reality television series, in which a group of aspiring young businessmen and women compete for the chance to win a job as "apprentice" to business magnate Bill Cullen....

reality television show in 2010; John Frank Kidd, a retired fire officer; and Jim Tallon, a farmer.

Donnelly, McGuinness, Nulty and O'Gorman were all unsuccessful candidates in this constituency at the general election in February 2011. Bermingham, Cooney, Ó Ceallaigh and Tallon were candidates in the same election in other constituencies.

Result

A full recount was ordered after only 18 votes separated Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Ireland)
The Socialist Party is a socialist political party active in Ireland. It is a member of the Committee for a Workers' International .Formerly known as Militant Tendency, then Militant Labour, it adopted the name The Socialist Party in 1996. From their foundation in 1972 until the 1980s, members of...

 candidate Ruth Coppinger from Fianna Fáil candidate David McGuinness. After the recount both McGuinness and Coppinger had the same number of votes in the fourth count. Under electoral law Coppinger was eliminated as McGuinness had more first preference votes.

It is the first time since July 1982 that a government candidate won a by-election, when Noel Treacy
Noel Treacy
Noel Treacy is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He served as a Teachta Dála for the Galway East constituency from 1982 to 2011....

 won a seat in Galway East. The result left Fianna Fáil with no TDs in the Dublin city and County.

See also

  • List of Irish by-elections
  • Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland
    Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland
    The lower house of the Oireachtas , Dáil Éireann, contains 166 Teachtaí Dála , representing 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland. Depending on its size, each constituency must have at least 3 members and a maximum of five members. The most recent ratio indicates that...

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