Ex-Justice Minister Alan Shatter unseated in Irish election

Ireland’s former Justice Minister Alan Shatter has left the Dáil for the second time in his political career.

Mr Shatter won 14.4 per cent of first preferences in the newly-drawn Dublin Rathdown constituency on Friday but was narrowly beaten by Green Party candidate Catherine Martin.

Mr Shatter was eliminated on the sixth count after Ms Martin received a sizeable transfer boost from Fianna Fáil candidate Mary White.

It is not the first time that Mr Shatter has failed to be re-elected - first elected as a TD in 1981, he left the Dáil at the 2002 election before eventually returning in 2007.

After the 2011 election, his party, Fine Gael, formed a coalition with Labour and Mr Shatter was nominated to serve as Justice Minister.

He stayed in the role until 2014, when he resigned after the Guerin Report alleged serious mismanagement within An Garda Síochána.

He was succeeded by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald.

Ms Fitzgerald was comfortably re-elected in the Dublin Mid-West constituency on the first count with 20.9 per cent of first preferences.

Although Fine Gael emerged from Friday’s election with the most seats, it is not yet clear whether it will be able to secure enough support to continue to govern.

Ms Fitzgerald, whose future as Justice Minister is now uncertain, said there was “an onus on all of us now to find a stable government”.