This weekend marks the first anniversary of the election of the 31st Dáil, an election that attracted 566 candidates to contest the 165 seats (the Speaker/Ceann Comhairle is returned automatically)
The election cost the political parties and candidates a total of €9.27 million, – 16% less than the €11.08 million spent on the 2007 general election, even though 100 more persons contested the election
The following table summarises the spending by party and the cost of each first preference vote:
| Party | 1st Preference Votes | Total Expenditure€ | Spend per 1st Preference Vote |
| Fianna Fáil | 378,358 | 2,138,792 | 5.65 |
| Fine Gael | 801,628 | 3,120,237 | 4.89 |
| Labour | 431,796 | 1,956,812 | 4.53 |
| Green | 41,039 | 496,928 | 5.93 |
| Sinn Fein | 220,661 | 496,928 | 2.25 |
| People Before Profit | 21,551 | 47,756 | 2.22 |
| Socialist | 26,770 | 85,124 | 3.18 |
| Christian Solidarity | 2,102 | 20,113 | 9.57 |
| Workers P | 3,056 | 11,986 | 3.92 |
| S Kerry All | 4,939 | 15,347 | 3.11 |
| Independents | 279,459 | 1,411,176 | 4.08 |
| TOTAL | 2,211,459 | €9,277,637 | €4.20 |
A total of €2.36 million was spent reimbursing 327 candidates who obtained a quarter of a quota, or more. This accounted for 28% of the total expenditure during the regulated period – which started the date the Dáil was dissolved on 1 February 2011 until the date of the general election, 25 February 2011.
The cost of each vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly election last year was €2.21, 47% less. The 218 candidates contesting the 108 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly spent a total of €1.17 million electioneering during the regulated period – which extended from 25 March 2011 to election day on 5 May 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment