Simon Harris, leader of Fine Gael, expressed confidence about his party’s performance in the General Election, predicting they may do ‘very well’. With early tallies indicating over 30% first preference votes for him in Wicklow and significant support for his party despite not fielding candidates in many constituencies, he noted that forming a government coalition is premature. Harris cited a lack of a Sinn Féin surge, suggesting a fragmented political landscape in Ireland. Other Fine Gael candidates also showed strong early results, including Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Helen McEntee.