Ireland's main opposition parties looked set to form a coalition Saturday after voters angered by a financial collapse and a hugely unpopular bailout crushed the ruling party that had dragged the country to the edge of bankruptcy.
Early results suggest the ruling Fianna Fail party of Prime Minister Brian Cowen was facing its worst defeat in 80 years, while the opposition Fine Gael party was on course to win.
National broadcaster RTE said Saturday that Fine Gael won 37 percent of the vote, but that is not thought to be enough to win a majority in the lower house of parliament. Likely Fine Gael coalition partner, the Labor Party, had about 20 percent support, and Fianna Fail received only 15 percent of the vote — its worst showing ever.
The leader of Fine Gael and Ireland's likely next prime minister, Enda Kenny, vowed to renegotiate the terms of the $115 billion bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund that Dublin accepted in November.
The make-up of a new parliament will not be confirmed until manual counting finishes on Sunday.