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Members of the European Parliament for Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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, and the first election to be held simultaneously across the entire Island of Ireland since the 1921 Irish elections. The election was conducted under the single transferable vote.
Constituencies
Ireland was entitled to 15 MEPs who were elected on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) in four constituencies based on the provinces of Ireland:[1]
- Connacht–Ulster (3 seats);
- Dublin (4 seats);
- Leinster (3 seats);
- Munster (5 seats).
Results
| Party | Group | Leader | 1st pref | FPv% | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fianna Fáil | EPD | Jack Lynch | 464,451 | 34.7 | 5 | ||
| Fine Gael | EPP | Garret FitzGerald | 443,652 | 33.1 | 4 | ||
| Labour | SOC | Frank Cluskey | 193,898 | 14.5 | 4 | ||
| Independent Fianna Fáil | CDI | Neil Blaney | 81,522 | 6.1 | 1 | ||
| Sinn Féin The Workers' Party | Tomás Mac Giolla | 43,942 | 3.3 | 0 | |||
| Independent | 111,607 | 8.3 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 1,339,072 | 100.0 | 15 | ||||
MEPs elected
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 (66.30%) | 15,416 (4.80%) | 306,896 | 61,380 | 3 | 9 |
| Munster | 641,625 | 445,192 (69.40%) | 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 |
Aftermath
Provisional Sinn Féin did not to contest the election. However, the relative success of Bernadette McAliskey in Northern Ireland helped prompt Sinn Féin to stand in subsequent European elections.[2]
References
- ^ European Assembly Elections Act 1977, 2nd Sch.: Constituencies (No. 30 of 1977, 2nd Sch.). Enacted on 9 December 1977. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
- ^ Frampton, Martyn (2000). "Sinn Féin and the European Arena: 'Ourselves Alone' or 'Critical Engagement'?". Irish Studies in International Affairs. 16: 235–253. JSTOR 30001944.
External links
- ElectionsIreland.org – 1979 European Parliament (Ireland) election results
- Irish Elections – 1979 European Election
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