Ireland’s Green Party, one of the three previous governing parties, may lose a significant number of seats, as its leader admitted their politicians have “not had a good day”.
Counting is still in the early stages, and the final result may not be clear for days.
Several high-profile ministers also look like they may be in difficulty in the first tallies.
While the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein look set to be re-elected, Green leader Roderic O’Gorman is in with a fight to hold on to his seat.
In 2011, the last time Greens exited a coalition government, the party lost all six of its TDs (MPs).
The Fianna Fail health minister Stephen Donnelly and the Green media minister Catherine Martin also look to be in trouble.
Meanwhile, alleged crime boss Gerard Hutch appears to be in contention for the fourth seat in Dublin Central – the same constituency as Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald.
What to look out for in Ireland’s general election – with counting under way
Counting begins in Ireland election – after exit poll shows three main parties neck and neck
Voting opens in Irish general election after three-week campaign
Counting started at 9am this morning with the first results expected this evening – but the final result may not be known for several days.
An exit poll after the vote closed on Friday suggested Sinn Fein had picked up 21.1% of the vote, with Fine Gael on 21% and Fianna Fail on 19.5%, with a 1.4% margin of error.
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