TWO NEW OPINION polls published this evening show an increase in support for the Green Party ahead of the European and local elections next Friday.

A Red C poll for the Sunday Business Post and a Sunday Times Behaviour & Attitudes poll both show increases of four points for the party, six days out from the two elections.

The party is now rated at 7% in the Sunday Business Post/Red C poll, and at 5% in the Sunday Times Behaviour & Attitudes poll.

In contrast, the Sunday Business Post/Red C poll suggests a five-point drop in support for Fine Gael, which is down to 28%.

The result, which follows controversy over the awarding of a €3bn contract for the National Broadband Plan, is the party’s lowest Sunday Business Post/Red C rating since November 2017.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil is up one point to 24%, Sinn Féin is down one point to 13%. Support for Labour is unchanged at 5%, while The Independent Alliance also remains unchanged at 2%.

Solidarity-People Before Profit rise by one point to 2%, and Aontú is also up one point to 2%.

Social Democrats remains unchanged at 2%, Renua is up one point at 1%, and other Independent candidates are down two points to 14%.

The Red C poll was conducted using a random sample of 2,000 adults over the age of 18 by phone and online between 6 and 16 May, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3%.

Fine Gael fared better in the Sunday Times Behaviour & Attitudes poll, where the party was unchanged on 28%, along with Fianna Fáil, which dropped a point to 28%.

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Support for Sinn Féin also dropped two points to 19%, while Labour’s popularity remains unchanged at 4%.

The Independent Alliance dropped one point to 3%, with the Social Democrats unchanged at 1%.

Solidarity-People Before Profit rose two points to 3%, with other Independent candidates down one point to 9%.

The Sunday Times Behaviour & Attitudes survey was carried out between 2 and 14 May in a series of in-home interviews with 954 eligible Irish voters. The margin of error is 3.2%.