2010 Donegal South-West by-election
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| Turnout | 34,424 (57.4%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Donegal South-West shown within Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A by-election was held in the Dáil constituency of Donegal South-West in Ireland on Thursday 25 November 2010 to fill a vacancy left by the election of Fianna Fáil TD Pat "the Cope" Gallagher to the European Parliament at the June 2009 election. Most voters cast their ballots on 25 November 2010; 754 voters on offshore islands (Arranmore, Tory, Inishbofin, Gola, and Inishfree) were entitled to cast their ballots on 22 November.
When a vacancy occurs in the Dáil, the writ for a by-election to fill the vacancy is moved in the Dáil. Possessing a small majority in the Dáil, the government had delayed in calling this by-election. There was no specific legal requirement on when to hold a by-election. The 17-month gap between the seat becoming vacant and the writ being moved is the longest in the history of the state.
Sinn Féin senator Pearse Doherty was elected on the fourth count.