Irish couple to go up against each other in elections, call it a 'bad rom-com'

An Irish couple, Cllr Christopher O'Sullivan and Cllr Holly Cairns are set to stand as rivals for February 8 elections which according to them is a 'bad rom-com'. Cairns, a Social Democrat candidate is running against her husband, O'Sullivan, who is a candidate for Fianna Fail, both for the Cork South-West constituency. While talking to an Irish newspaper, Cairns said that 'all's fair in love and war'. 

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While O'Sullivan reportedly led the polls last year for the centrist party and became mayor of the council, the same year Cairns was elected as a Cork county councillor with Social Democrats making them rivals for the upcoming general election and fighting for Dail seats. Cairns told the Irish newspaper that she saw the possibility of her husband getting added to the ticket, and now when it has finally happened, she feels like being 'in a badly written rom-com'. 

According to international reports, O'Sullivan has not responded to interview requests and Cairns declined for a face-off. However, there is a possibility that both could win since the constituency has three seats. 

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Varadkar trailing in elections

According to a poll conducted by an Irish local media outlet shows the party of Prime Minister Leo Varadkar trailing with its main rival. The poll also discloses that Varadkar's Fine Gael party had fallen seven per cent points to 23 per cent since its last poll in November while fellow centre-right rival Fianna Fail was up two points to 26 per cent. The poll also indicates that the few voters, however, still trust the ruling party because of its key issue relating to housing and health. 

According to reports, it is the first time that Varadkar's party has fallen behind its rival in the polls. Varadkar's Fine Gael party came into power in 2017 and has been praised for its handling of Brexit negotiations and overseeing of economic growth.

People also still trust the party on the issues of housing and health which has also dominated their campaign so far. The poll further reportedly suggested that Fine Gael was the best party equipped to handle Ireland's crisis over the next five years. 

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(With inputs from Agencies)