Irish Exit Polls Show McAleese Taking Presidency

Belfast lawyer Mary McAleese looked set to be the next president of Ireland, according to exit polls conducted after a sparsely supported election Thursday.

Exit polls taken for Irish television in the five-candidate race showed that government nominee McAleese had taken 46% of the vote with opposition Parliament member Mary Banotti next with 32%.

The turnout was reported to be the lowest ever--40%.

McAleese had been the favorite in preelection surveys.

Four women and a man fought an often stormy campaign to succeed Mary Robinson, Ireland’s first female head of state.

She resigned in September just short of a full seven-year term to become United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Officials said counting will get underway early today, and first results are expected in the late afternoon.

McAleese, a law professor from British-ruled Northern Ireland, is a devout Roman Catholic.

Her candidacy stirred a mixed response among Northern Ireland’s Protestant unionist politicians, who bitterly oppose Dublin’s claim to the disputed province.

She caused a sensation by defeating former Prime Minister Albert Reynolds for the presidential nomination of the strongly nationalist Fianna Fail party.