DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) – Prime Minister Bertie Ahern’s long-dominant party marched toward its sixth straight election victory Friday as voters appeared determined to stick with a popular leader who has presided over unprecedented economic success

Fianna Fail was on course to defend its current 79-seat bloc in the 166-seat Dail Eireann parliament.

“It’s a great night for Fianna Fail, and it’s a great night for the party machine,” said Mr. Ahern, who topped the poll in his own Dublin Central district after traveling the country relentlessly pressing the flesh.

With the election count still under way late Friday, Fianna Fail had won 59 seats, compared to 30 seats for its closest rival, Fine Gael. Ballot-counting was running into Saturday to determine exact representation because Ireland’s complex proportional system requires ballots to be counted up a dozen times.

Fine Gael had hoped to rise to power in alliance with the left-wing Labour Party, which was third in the count with 11 confirmed seats. That put it on course be able to help Fianna Fail, but not Fine Gael, form a majority administration.

Mr. Ahern declined to say whether he thought his party could cut a deal with Labour leader Pat Rabbitte, who had dedicated his campaign to ousting Fianna Fail from power.

Mr. Ahern said his only goal now was “to command a stable government for a five-year term,” which could also mean forging an alliance with the environmental Green Party or with independent lawmakers. He confirmed his intention to serve as prime minister until mid-2012.

However, Fianna Fail’s coalition partner over the past decade, the Progressive Democrats – whose tax-cutting, pro-business agenda deeply colored Mr. Ahern’s policies – suffered electoral meltdown.

The party’s leader, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McDowell, announced he intended to quit politics after he, his party deputy leader and party president all lost their seats.

“I love my country. I am deeply ambitious for it, but … my period in public life as a public representative is over,” said Mr. McDowell, who is also Ireland’s justice minister.

Mr. Ahern, 55, is already the second-longest-serving prime minister in Irish history behind the founder of Fianna Fail, Eamon de Valera, who won seven elections from 1932 to 1957.

Fianna Fail, which means “Soldiers of Destiny” in Gaelic, has won more seats than any other party in every national election since 1932. But it has failed to win an outright majority on its own since 1977, instead being forced to negotiate coalitions with much smaller parties of the left or right.

Fine Gael chief Enda Kenny was one of few observers who refused to concede Mr. Ahern’s return to power.

But Mr. Rabbitte expressed confidence that Ahern would be re-elected prime minister when the newly elected Dail Eireann convenes June 14.

He said voters stuck with Fianna Fail as the choice least likely to unsettle Ireland’s economy.

“There’s a huge level of personal indebtedness out there, people with huge mortgages and so on,” Mr. Rabbitte said. “They may have been fearful of changing horses in midstream.”

Fianna Fail and Fine Gael trace their roots to opposing sides in the 1922-23 civil war that followed Irish independence from Britain.

Since the mid-1990s, Ireland – once a mass exporter of people – has become the world’s No. 1 exporter of software. More than 1,000 high-tech companies, half of them American, have made Ireland their preferred European base today because of low taxes, an English-speaking work force and the country’s participation in the euro common currency.