Sinn Fein is just three points behind Fianna Fail in the first official opinion poll of the Irish general election campaign.

Support for the party is currently at 13%, meaning Sinn Fein could win 22 seats in the next Dail.

The party is clearly cashing in on the protest vote evident in a shift to the left highlighted in today's Irish Independent/Millward Brown Lansdowne survey.

And despite criticisms of his recent performances, party president and Louth constituency candidate Gerry Adams also saw his satisfaction ratings rise by three points to 31%.

Sinn Fein, which had five TDs as the Dail was dissolved, yesterday said it is looking for a “greatly strengthened mandate”. It is certain to get the seven seats it needs to have full speaking rights in the next Dail.

Fianna Fail is still languishing in a distant third place with support for the party rooted at 16%, the poll reveals.

The party hoped new leader Micheal Martin — and his relentless media bombardment over the past week — would help drag |Fianna Fail out of the doldrums.

But despite Mr Martin scoring an impressive 44% personal satisfaction, his initial popularity has so far failed to rub off on his party.

Environment Minister Eamon O’Cuiv yesterday made an order naming Friday, February 25, as polling day for the Irish general election.

Thirty-eight TDs have announced they will not contest the election, including Mr Cowen, the first sitting Taoiseach not to seek re-election.

In his final Dail speech earlier yesterday, the Taoiseach described himself as someone who had always had the “best interests” of the Irish people at heart.

Although he said it was not the time to talk about his achievements, he did mention his role in negotiating the Hillsborough Agreement on the devolution of policing and justice, which allowed the Assembly to start functioning again.

“Peace is priceless — and we must continue to work collectively to protect it,” he said.

During his time in office, Mr Cowen had been angered and upset by the accusation from Labour leader Eamon Gilmore that he could have committed “economic treason” by introducing the state banking guarantee.

He strongly defended his record and his policies during his |two-and-a-half years in office |yesterday.

“I believe politics is about serving the interests of the people, first and last. That was my motivation starting out in public life and I stayed true to it right to the end,” he said.

Mr Cowen released a statement last night to counter any suggestions his government intended to pack Irish state boards with cronies over the next three weeks.

And he told the Dail yesterday he had no time for the cynics who talked down or belittled people in public life.

“Politics is public service — and it is an honourable profession. I say that with sincerity, with |conviction and from experience,” he said.

Mr Cowen paid tribute to his late father Ber Cowen TD, who died of a heart attack in 1984 and also thanked the voters in his Laois-Offaly constituency, who had re-elected him over the past 27 years. “I will be forever grateful for their loyalty and their support,” he said.