2005 Kildare North by-election

2005 Kildare North by-election
11 March 2005
Turnout25,524 (39.2%)
 
Nominee Catherine Murphy Áine Brady Darren Scully
Party Independent Fianna Fáil Fine Gael
First preferences 5,985 6,201 4,630
Percentage 23.6% 24.5% 18.3%
Final count 12,256 9,818 –
 
Nominee Paddy MacNamara Kate Walsh J. J. Power
Party Labour Progressive Democrats Green
First preferences 6,087 2,006 1,547
Percentage 17.8% 7.9% 6.1%
Final count – – –
Kildare North shown within Ireland
TD before election

Charlie McCreevy
Fianna Fáil

Elected TD

Catherine Murphy
Independent

A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann constituency of Kildare North in Ireland on Friday, 11 March 2005. It followed the resignation of Fianna Fáil TD Charlie McCreevy on 31 October 2004 to take up his new position as Ireland's European Commissioner.

On 15 February 2005 the campaign began when it was announced that polling would take place on 11 March 2005. Eight candidates contested the vacant seat, the by-election was won by independent candidate Catherine Murphy. Her 23.6% share of the first-preference vote was the lowest recorded at any by-election since Patrick Kinane won the Tipperary by-election in October 1947 with a 21.4% share.

As a result of her election, Kildare North was the only constituency in the Republic of Ireland that did not have a TD from one of the government parties of Fianna Fáil or the Progressive Democrats. Murphy also went into the record books as Kildare North's first ever female member of Dáil Éireann.

On the same day, a by-election took place in Meath, both were the final occasions which the Progressive Democrats contested by-elections.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.