Irish voters are going to the polls in one of the tightest general election contests that Ireland has ever seen. Outgoing Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, is hoping for a third term in office while the opposition`s “Alliance for Change” hopes to end a decade of Fianna Fail rule.

A total electorate of 3,066,517 is entitled to vote today for the 466 candidates running in 43 constituencies but some experts believe the turnout could be the lowest ever due to a declining trend and the numbers of college students sitting exams.

If Bertie Ahern is re-elected as Taoiseach he will become the second-longest serving European Union premier currently in office but the last time a Fine Gael/Labour alliance put Fianna Fail out of power was in 1982.

Fianna Fail is fielding 106 candidates, followed by Fine Gael with 91, Labour with 50 and the Progressive Democrats with 30.

The Greens and Sinn Fein are also represented by candidates in most of the constituencies.

Some 104 candidates are also running for other groupings such as the Christian Solidarity Party, the People Before Profit Alliance, the Fathers` Rights Responsibilities Group and the Immigration Control Platform.

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