Outgoing Minister for Education Joe McHugh of Fine Gael is hopeful that he will retain his seat in the Donegal five-seat constituency.
But he says it is too early to say what course of direction both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will take in light of the general election result.
He felt that there was an "impatience" in parts of the electorate and this had contributed to the decline in the Fine Gael vote.
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