Irish premier faces election 'dog fight' to retain power

Published February 17, 2016

Ireland's prime minister says he faces a serious challenge to retain power following a Feb. 26 election as the latest poll suggests voters are turning toward a cacophony of opposition voices.

Enda Kenny said Wednesday that the election "was always going to be a dog fight."

The survey by pollsters Red C put Kenny's centrist Fine Gael party on 26 percent, a 2-point drop and the lowest mark since Kenny launched the election two weeks ago. Fine Gael's government partner, left-wing Labour, rose 1 point to 9 percent.

Ireland's traditional No. 1 party, Fianna Fail, gained 1 point to 19 percent. Irish nationalist Sinn Fein lost 3 points to 17 percent.

The poll found that fringe opposition parties and anti-government independents combined have 29 percent support, up 4 points.

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