Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald defended her party’s decision to select Janice Boylan as its candidate in the Dublin Central by-election after early vote tallies placed Boylan in second place behind Social Democrats candidate Daniel Ennis.According to the tallies, Ennis led with approximately 20% of first-preference votes, while Boylan followed closely with 18%.Green Party candidate Janet Horner and independent candidate Gerry “The Monk” Hutch were also competing strongly, along with Fine Gael’s Ray McAdam.Speaking to reporters, McDonald stressed that the race remained highly competitive because thousands of transfer votes were still to be counted.She rejected suggestions that Sinn Féin was underperforming in Dublin Central, a constituency she described as one of the party’s strongest areas.McDonald acknowledged that she would prefer Sinn Féin to win the seat but emphasized that political contests are always competitive.

The Sinn Féin leader also defended Boylan personally, praising her for running what she described as a very strong campaign and thanking her for her work during the election.

Questions had emerged over the party’s candidate selection process because Boylan was chosen over Gillian Sherratt, a healthcare campaigner whose son Harvey died after delays connected to spinal surgery treatment.Reports suggested some party members were unhappy with the process and believed the candidate had been “parachuted” into the race.

When asked whether a potential loss in the by-election would affect her leadership, McDonald firmly dismissed the idea, stating that there was “no question” about her position as leader of Sinn Féin.

The article highlights both the significance of the Dublin Central contest and ongoing scrutiny of Sinn Féin’s internal decisions during an important electoral test.