DUBLIN -- An exit poll suggests Ireland's top three parties have finished in a virtual dead heat in parliamentary elections after a campaign dominated by concerns about economic austerity and a housing crisis.
The survey conducted during Saturday's voting says the Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein parties all had gotten about 22% of first preference votes.
The poll was based on 5,376 interviews conducted immediately after people voted at 250 polling stations. It has a margin of error of plus or minus one percentage point.
Vote counting starts Sunday, and it could be Monday before the election's results are determined.
