If his party cannot garner an outright majority, its likely coalition partner is Labour, the traditional third party of Irish politics which may just pip Fianna Fail this time around.
The Labour Party's Michael D Higgins has been officially confirmed as the ninth Irish president after one of the most remarkable comebacks in the state's history.
After a poor performance in the Irish General Election last February, the party was replaced by the current coalition government of Fine Gael and Labour.