Ahern secures a third term as Irish premier

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The prime minister's Fianna Fail party confounded its critics with a sensational poll performance.

Chasing 83 seats for an overall majority, foreign minister Dermot Ahern (no relation) said: "We potentially will be around the 80-seat mark. That might mean we won't have to look at coalition options."

The PM emerged victorious despite a tough campaign in which he was made to issue a public statement about his personal finances.

Deputy prime minister Michael McDowell quit politics after losing his seat, as his Progressive

Democrats party lost a number of high-profile candidates.

The Progressive Democrats were the coalition partners of Mr Ahern's centrist party, which won around 42 per cent of the vote.

Sinn Fein had a poor night, losing a seat in Dublin and failing to land two target marginals.

"We were clearly squeezed in the surge by Fianna Fail," said party president Gerry Adams.

Fine Gael regained a host of seats lost in the 2002 general election but its potential coalition partner Labour had a miserable day.

The official counting is expected to take several days.