European Parliament election, 1979 (Ireland)
Encyclopedia
The 1979 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish
component of the 1979 European Parliament election
. These were the first direct elections to the European Parliament
. The election was conducted under the single transferable vote
.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
component of the 1979 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 1979
The 1979 European elections were parliamentary elections held across all 9 European Community member states. They were the first European elections to be held, allowing citizens to elect 410 MEPs to the European Parliament, and also the first international election in history.Seats in the...
. These were the first direct elections to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. The election was conducted under the single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
.
Results
| Party | Party Leader | 1st Pref Vote | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
Jack Lynch Jack Lynch John Mary "Jack" Lynch was the Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office; from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979.... |
464,451 | 34.7 | 5 | |
| 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... |
Garret FitzGerald Garret FitzGerald Garret FitzGerald was an Irish politician who was twice Taoiseach of Ireland, serving in office from July 1981 to February 1982 and again from December 1982 to March 1987. FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD in 1969. He... |
443,652 | 33.1 | 4 | |
| 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... |
Frank Cluskey Frank Cluskey Frank Cluskey was an Irish politician and a former leader of the Irish Labour Party.Frank Cluskey was born on 1 April 1930 in Dublin. He worked as a butcher and then joined the Labour Party. He quickly became a branch secretary in the Workers' Union of Ireland. In the 1965 general election he was... |
193,898 | 14.5 | 4 | |
| Independent Fianna Fáil Independent Fianna Fáil Independent Fianna Fáil was a splinter republican party created by Neil Blaney after his expulsion from Fianna Fáil following the Irish Arms Crisis . It ceased to exist on 26 July 2006... |
Neil Blaney Neil Blaney Neil Terence Columba Blaney was a senior Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1948 as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála representing Donegal East. Blaney served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs , Minister for Local Government and Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries... |
81,522 | 6.1 | 1 | |
| Sinn Féin (Workers Party) | Tomás Mac Giolla | 43,942 | 3.3 | 0 | |
| Independents Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
111,607 | 8.3 | 1 | ||
| Total | 1,339,072 | 100 | 15 | ||
Voting details
| Constituency | Electorate | Turnout | Spoilt | Valid Poll | Quota | Seats | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connacht–Ulster | 442,471 | 320,713 (72.5%) | 14,547 (4.5%) | 306,166 | 76,542 | 3 | 11 |
| Dublin | 618,454 | 304,068 (49.2%) | 8,653 (2.8%) | 295,415 | 59,084 | 4 | 13 |
| Leinster | 486,248 | 322,312 (66.3%) | 15,416 (4.8%) | 306,896 | 61,380 | 3 | 9 |
| Munster | 641,625 | 445,192 (69.4%) | 14,597 (3.3%) | 430,595 | 71,766 | 5 | 13 |
| Total | 2,188,798 | 1,392,285 (63.6%) | 53,213 (3.8%) | 1,339,072 | — | 15 | 46 |
See also
- Members of the European Parliament for Ireland 1979–1984 – List ordered by constituency