Ireland began voting in a general election today, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar hoping to secure a new term on the back of Brexit but voters are likely to judge him more on his domestic record.<br />''  <br />'' Polls opened across the country at 0700 hours GMT, although a small number of islands off the west coast voted yesterday to allow for rough seas that could disrupt the transport of ballots by boat.<br />'' <br />'' Some 3.3 million people are eligible to vote to elect 159 members of the Dail, the lower chamber of Parliament in Dublin. Mr Varadkar's Fine Gael Party has been in power since 2016 but polling suggests they are trailing center-right rivals Fianna Fail and republicans Sinn Fein. Polls close at 2200 GMT and votes start being counted tomorrow.<br />''  <br />