DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland’s two largest centre-right parties will begin talks on forming a new government this week before seeking support of a junior partner to reach a majority in parliament, their leaders said after a meeting on Monday.
Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, Ireland’s dominant parties who led the outgoing government, fell just two seats short of the 88 needed to govern at a Nov. 29 election and hope to strike a wider a deal to form a fresh coalition early in the new year.
“The two party leaders have asked their negotiating teams to commence talks tomorrow,” the parties said after what they described as a “positive, constructive” meeting between outgoing Prime Minister Simon Harris of Fine Gael and Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin of Fianna Fail.
The parties campaigned on a similar policy platform with the aim of returning to government together. Their choice of junior partner is between one of Ireland’s two smaller centre-left parties or a number of more conservative independent lawmakers.
The centre-left Social Democrats and Labour parties still have to decide whether they are willing to enter formal talks, conscious that outgoing junior coalition partner, the Greens, lost all but one of its 12 seats at the election.
Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have also spoken to some of the 20 independent lawmakers who were elected. A deal would likely be needed with at least six independents to form a comfortable working majority.
The two leading parties have ruled out a deal with the other main party Sinn Fein, the leftist opposition who came second behind Fianna Fail but saw its vote fall to 19% from 24.5% at the last election in 2020.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Catarina Demony)
Comments