Prime Minister Enda Kenny's coalition government was ousted in an election that produced no clear alternative. (Fole Photo, AFP)
Ireland's political uncertainty looked set to drag into a third day after Prime Minister Enda Kenny's coalition government was ousted in an election that produced no clear alternative.
With 134 of 168 seats counted, voters had clearly punished Kenny and junior coalition partner Labour, leaving historical foes Fine Gael and Fianna Fail with the only clear numbers to form a government, a prospect both would struggle to swallow.
It is not clear when final results will be known after Friday's vote but weeks of political bargaining and a potential re-run could lie ahead after a swing to anti-establishment and anti-austerity candidates that echoed recent elections in other eurozone countries like Spain.
Kenny's Fine Gael was set to be the largest party with a much-reduced seat count, closely followed by Fianna Fail.
The two would would have a majority between them, but any deal would have to overcome a century of bitter political rivalry and could be a struggle for their old guard and supporter base.
"I certainly wouldn't advocate it because I believe your word is your bond," deputy Fianna Fail leader Eamon O Cuiv said following his re-election in Galway West, stressing that any move would have to be approved at a party conference.
"We fought this election on the basis that we weren't going in with Fine Gael."
Irish newspapers hailed the election as a "rebellion" and an "earthquake" that transformed the political landscape.
Some final results from tightly-fought constituencies will not emerge until at least Monday.
Parties emphasised the need to await the full breakdown of seats in parliament before discussing potential deals.
'Circle the wagons'Options now include an election re-run, an unstable minority Fine Gael government supported by Fianna Fail, or a once-unthinkable alliance between the two parties, which have taken turns ruling Ireland since 1932.
"In the past, this would have been anathema to them," said Gail McElroy, political science professor at Trinity College Dublin, adding that time could help bring the old foes round.
"You can't immediately say you'll go into government because it will look like you're lying and you've broken promises.
"If you leave it a little while, three, four weeks, and there's no government on the table, it might be a little easier."
There would be strong opposition to any deal within the parties but they both occupy the centre to centre-right ground and would together have a healthy majority.
Commentator Brendan O'Connor wrote in the Irish Independent: "The best guess anyone can make today is that the establishment are going to have to hold their noses, circle the wagons and huddle together to create a government, to keep the barbarians from the gate."
Kenny faced anger within his party over the result but has resisted calls to resign, saying he had a "duty and responsibility" to see that Ireland has a stable government.
'A seismic change'An alliance between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael would make Sinn Fein the main opposition party in Ireland, a coup for the party once seen as the political voice of the Irish Republican Army.
The left-wing party has capitalised on anger over austerity and was set to add as many as 10 seats to its previous count of 14 in the 158-seat Dail.
"We're into a new era, we have seen in this election a seismic change," Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said after he was re-elected in his County Louth constituency.
Negotiating parties have until March 10 to make a deal, when lawmakers are due to meet in the lower house of parliament Dail Eireann and in theory, appoint a prime minister.
Ireland exited a bailout programme in 2013 and has become the fastest growing country in the eurozone in recent years, with predicted GDP growth of 4.5 percent in 2016.
But many of the country's 4.6 million people complain they have not felt any improvement amid a housing crisis and the continued effects of years of spending cuts and tax hikes.
"They weren't listening to the people, it's as simple as that," said Susan O'Brien, a horticulture worker in her early 40s.
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