Irish MEP Clare Daly loses seat

One of the European Parliament’s most infamous members, Clare Daly, has lost her seat. 

The leftist Dublin MEP, who was first elected to the Parliament in 2019, was eliminated on the 17th count in the Dublin constituency following the EU election. 

In a statement posted on her social media account, Daly said she would “continue the fight.” 

“I have been honoured to have been able to use this platform as a powerful voice for peace, antimilitarism and neutrality,” she said of her time in the European Parliament. “This result is not a rejection of those ideas.”

But Daly was less restrained in comments to journalists covering the marathon counting session in Dublin. “You had no interest in talking to me for five years, so I have no interest in talking to you,” she said as she walked away from reporters, including from Irish broadcaster RTÉ, and declined to answer questions.

Daly rose to prominence internationally over her stance on Russia and China, criticizing the EU’s military support for Kyiv and voting against a resolution in the European Parliament calling for the establishment of a tribunal to prosecute Russia’s leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

A 2022 investigation by the Irish Times revealed that Daly, along with Ireland South MEP Mick Wallace, have been covered widely in state-controlled media in Russia, China and elsewhere, largely cast as supporters of the policies of those governments. 

But she also attracted some celebrity fans, with actor Susan Sarandon and singer Annie Lennox praising her in the run-up to the elections. 

It is not yet clear if Wallace will retain his seat in the European Parliament as counting continues in the Ireland South constituency.

Early figures suggest that he faces a battle to retain his seat, though he could benefit from transfers from other candidates — a key element of the Irish single-transferable-voting system, which can make a final result difficult to predict.