Decision Time

By this time next week, the election will all be over and negotiations for a new government should be underway.

Voting takes place on Friday (25th), with most of the results expected on Saturday.

Opinion polls suggest that the momentum heading into the closing days of the election is definitely with Fine Gael.

The party is riding high with 38% of the vote according to an Sunday Independent/Millward Brown poll.

In contrast Labour has slipped to 20% and Fianna Fail has rallied slightly to 16%. Sinn Fein stood at 12%, the Greens at just 1% and Independents and smaller parties at 14%.

Another poll by the Sunday Business Post/Red C has even better news for FG on 39%, Labour is down to 17%, FF is up to 16%, SF 12%, Greens 2% and Others 14%.

The two polls use different methodologies, but the results are remarkably similar.

The story of the campaign has been the steady rise of Enda Kenny's party despite his own relatively low personal approval ratings.

And his own ratings have improved as the campaign progressed.

Both polls suggest he is now the most popular choice for Taoiseach among voters, at around 31% approval.

Labour has failed to capitalize on public anger in the way that might have been expected, and the Gilmore for Taoiseach posters inspired by high poll ratings some months ago are now looking decidedly foolish.

The most likely outcome of the election remains a coalition between Fine Gael and Labour, although some have been speaking of the outside possibility of Fine Gael achieving an overall majority, or being able to govern on its own with the support of a number of Independents.