Ireland is still without a government after its parliament has failed to form one for the third time since the inconclusive general election at the end of February. The Dáil was unable to agree on the outgoing taoiseach, Enda Kenny, or the main opposition leader, Micheál Martin, as prime minister on Thursday afternoon.
Kenny’s Fine Gael on 50 seats and the 43 seats of Martin’s Fianna Fáil party could create a two-party coalition with a commanding majority in the Dáil.
However, historic bitterness between the two parties forged in the Irish civil war of 1922-23, and Fianna Fáil’s unwillingness to hand over the leadership of the opposition to Sinn Féin with its 23 seats, mean the latter party is unlikely to enter coalition with its old enemy Fine Gael.
The two parties are still seeking an arrangement where Fine Gael can govern with a minority administration backed up by up to at least eight Independent Dáil deputies. However, such a coalition would still require a political ceasefire with Fianna Fáil which, while sitting on the opposition benches, would agree to allow Fine Gael to rule at least until Ireland sets its next budget towards the end of this year.
Kenny lost Thursday’s vote for taoiseach 77-52. Martin also lost out, 91-43. Sinn Féin’s deputy leader, Mary Lou McDonald, denounced the failure of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to form a government as a “farce.”
Fourteen TDs, including many from rural Irish constituencies, abstained from the vote. However, they issued a statement offering their services to negotiate between the two biggest parties.
The 14-strong independent bloc said: “We want the parties to agree on a three-budget programme for a minority government and we are withdrawing from the talks process until that can be agreed. We have also made it clear that if the main parties want a facilitator to assist with their talks, that will be made available to them.”
One of the biggest sticking points in the main talks between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil has been Kenny’s future. Some sources in Fianna Fáil say the party must insist that any Fine Gael minority government will only get its critical support minus Kenny as leader and taoiseach.
