Support for Fine Gael has grown and more people want Leo Varadkar and not Micheal Martin to be the next Taoiseach a new poll has revealed.
The survey found that 35% of the electorate would give the ruling party their first preference while just 14%, a drop of four percent, would give their vote to Fianna Fail.
Sinn Fein are still riding high in the polls with 27% while Independents are on eight percent, the Greens are on seven percent while Labour and the Social Democrats are both on three percent while Solidarity-PBP are on two percent.
Support for Aontú, whose only TD is Peadar Tóibín, has dropped to one percent.
But strikingly the Red C survey for the Business Post shows 39% prefer the Fine Gael leader in any coalition, compared with 14% for his Fianna Fáil counterpart.
This is bad news for Mr Martin as a rotating Taoiseach is expected to form part of a new government involving both parties.
The poll is a major boost for Fine Gael and their handling of the Covid-19 emergency as the party which gained 20.9% of first preference votes in February’s general election finishing behind both Sinn Féin (24.5%) and Fianna Fáil (22.2%).
Fine Gael’s good showing has led to speculation that the Taoiseach could call another election if talks over the formation of a new government continue to drag on.
But a new administration is needed to pass the caretaker Government’s €6.5billion Covid-19 business support scheme which was revealed by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe at the weekend.
The current Government has not the power to pass this into law meaning that a new administration is needed.
