Third day of counting to continue

The final seats in the Irish general election are expected to be filled later on Monday.

Only a small number of seats separate the three major parties with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael best placed to form a coalition government.

However, Sinn Féin insists it will still be involved in the coalition talks.

Eighty-eight seats are needed to secure a majority.

More than two-thirds of seats have been declared.

First preference percentage share for the largest three parties was: Fianna Fáil 21.9%, Fine Gael 20.8%, Sinn Féin 19.0%.

Turnout for the election was 59.7%, the lowest in more than a century.

The frontrunner to be the next taoiseach (Irish prime minister) is Michéal Martin of Fianna Fáil.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael served together in the outgoing government.

After a second day of counting votes, the two parties are expected to return with a seat total in the mid-80s and appear best placed to return to government.

If they agree to do so, they may need the support of one of the smaller parties or a number of the many independent TDs who are expected to be elected as the counting of votes continues on Monday.

But Sinn Féin is adamant that it has a role to play in the negotiations and plans to consult with other left-leaning parties.

But, at best, those parties are likely to finish with a combined total in the 60s and would therefore need the support of independents.

Based on current predictions, the scale of the challenge facing Sinn Féin is enormous.

Nothing at this stage can be ruled out as weeks, if not months, of political talks are now likely.