The three main parties are all within 2% of each other in the exit poll, but Ireland's electoral system means it is likely Fianna Fail and Fine Gael will make up another coalition government.

The two ruling center-right parties and the opposition Sinn Fein took equal shares of the vote, according to an exit poll. Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris had called for snap polls earlier this month.

Voting closes in Ireland’s election, with exit poll suggesting three biggest parties winning roughly equal shares

An exit poll in the Republic of Ireland Ireland suggests that Sinn Féin has 21.1% of first preference votes with Fine Gael having 21%, making the result of the general election too close to call. The poll indicates Fianna Fáil has 19.

Ballot boxes were opened at 9 a.m. (0900GMT) at count centers across the country, kicking off long hours, or even days, of tallying the results. If the exit poll is borne out, that could be followed by days or weeks of negotiations to form a coalition government.

A marathon vote-counting exercise was underway Saturday in Ireland's national election after an exit poll suggested that the contest is a close-fought race among the country's three largest political parties.

DUBLIN — The top three political parties in Ireland have finished in a virtual three-way tie in Friday’s election, according to detailed exit polling published at the moment polls closed.

An exit poll in Ireland’s parliamentary election released late Friday suggests the three biggest parties have won roughly equal shares and the country is headed for another coalition government. A poll released as voting ended at 10 p.

At one level, the vote was an endorsement of continuity, but the stability in Ireland’s political center ground masked volatility on the fringes.

An exit poll in Ireland’s general election suggests the three biggest parties have won roughly equal shares and the country is headed for another coalition government. A poll released as voting ended at 10 p.