Catherine Connolly, a veteran lawmaker on the far-left of the Irish political spectrum, was set to be elected president by a landslide margin on Saturday as members of the governing parties conceded they were in for a heavy defeat.

Connolly, 68, an independent candidate backed by the entire left-dominated opposition, was likely to win more than double the votes of her nearest rival, an official from one of the governing parties said, citing an incomplete tallying of votes.

Fine Gael General Secretary John Carroll told national broadcaster RTE that the data suggested Connolly would win more than 60% of the votes, with his party’s candidate - ex-cabinet minister Heather Humphreys - probably finishing in the high 20s. “It does appear likely that Catherine Connolly will be elected and we now move on to the job of working with her as a government,” Higher Education Minister James Lawless, a member of the second main governing party Fianna Fail, added.