Fine Gael Loose Ground In Latest Poll Ahead Of Election Vote On February 8th

A general election will be held on Saturday February the 8th with just under 98,000 on the electorate in County Wicklow.

Fianna Fail has opened up a 12 point lead on Fine Gael according to the latest opinion poll.

Published in the Sunday Times, it's the first since campaigning started in the general election and is a timely boost for Micheal Martin, but disasterous for the Taoiseach.

The last Sunday Times/Behaviour and Attitudes poll a month ago had both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail neck and neck on 27 percent.

However, this latest survey, carried out during the RIC commemoration controversey this month, shows a 12 point gap's opened up between the country's two biggest political parties.

According to the poll, Fianna Fail now sits on 32 percent, up five, while Fine Gael has dropped seven points to 20 percent.

Sinn Fein, down one, is now only one point behind Fine Gael on 19 percent.

Meanwhile the Greens have gained one point and are now on seven percent while Labour are down two to four percent.

Elsewhere Solidarity/People Before Profit drop one to two percent, Renua are up one to one percent and the Social Democrats are unchanged at one percent.

923 people were asked their views in the poll between January 2nd and 14th.