Support for Sinn Féin in the Republic has swelled in recent months, pushing the party into the second most popular position, a new poll has revealed.
It is thought Sinn Féin's anti-austerity stance is behind the surge in support, uncovered by the latest Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll, which also revealed that support for government partners Fine Gael and Labour had plummeted.
The coalition parties saw a drop in support to 33 percent for Fine Gael, and 13 percent for Labour, while Sinn Féin is up to 21 percent. It is also thought a recent leaking of budget cuts prompted the slump for the coalition.
Louth TD and Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams spoke out following the publication of the poll results, which saw his own personal opinion rating fall slightly, but still left him in second place among party leaders.
"Austerity is not working. Citizens are hurting and this government needs to listen," Adams said.
"The significant and painful cuts to public services, and the range of stealth taxes, the dreadful social consequences of austerity are to be found in the numbers of citizens unemployed, the thousands of our young people who are emigrating, in every household struggling to pay rent and mortgages and household bills, on every main street where businesses are shutting down, and in every hospital and school where reduced resources are hurting the sick and the young," said Adams.
"More than 100,000 households are currently in mortgage distress with 91 more joining that number each day. This is unacceptable. The government is making the wrong political choices."
Meanwhile, Fianna Fail's rating now stands at 20 percent, a slight rise, while support for the Green Party and Independent TDs is also edging higher.
