Counting of votes in the race for seats in Seanad Éireann will get under way today, although the full results will not be known until Thursday night.
Just under 1,000 outgoing senators, sitting TDs and members of county councils and boroughs will elect 43 of the 60 members to the new Seanad.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern will also nominate 11 senators while the two universities, the National University of Ireland and University of Dublin graduates elect three candidates each. There were 23 candidates standing in this postal ballot of 101,952 graduates.
The candidates represent vocational interests including Labour, Industry and Commerce and Public Administration, Agriculture and Culture and Education.
Elections to the Seanad must be held within 90 days of the Dáil's dissolution.
Fianna Fáil had 31 senators in the outgoing Seanad, Fine Gael 16, the Progressive Democrats 3, Labour 3, Others 1. There were six independent university senators.