Ireland’s two main parties gathered their lawmakers on Thursday to discuss their options after final results from last week’s election confirmed a fragmented political landscape with no clear victor. They will also represent Ireland worldwide at St. Patrick’s Day parades across the globe. It, too, has already in principle refused a coalition with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.
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Kenny’s centre-right party fell 30 seats short of the 80 needed to form a majority in parliament, just six seats more than resurgent, historic rival Fianna Fail.
Essentially, what he proposes is to give the Dail stronger powers with the government answerable to it. He wants a substantial shift of power from ministers to ordinary TDs in the new Dail.
“Despite the disappointing outcome, which did not return the outgoing Fine Gael-Labour government, Fine Gael will be the largest group and we are determined to play our part in providing the Irish people with a government”, Kenny said in a statement.
Three ministers sitting at the Cabinet table Tuesday failed to win re-election, but all ministers will remain in office until a new government is formed.
However Irish Water’s future remains uncertain as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael – the country’s two biggest political parties – having opposing views on its abolishment.
Eoin O’Malley from the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University told Irish broadcaster RTE that a Fine Gael minority government supported on an issue-by-issue basis by Fianna Fail and others was another likely outcome.
It is unbelievable that after all the scandals and blunders surrounding the setting up of Irish Water the Taoiseach still persists it was a good idea.
A Fine Gael/Fianna Fail government was still hot favorite with the bookies at 1-2 odds.
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– Ireland’s second largest party on Monday called for a cross-party agreement to reform parliament before any talks begin on the formation of a new government following inconclusive elections last week.Fianna Fail, which secured 24.3 percent of the vote, is the only party with enough seats to form a majority with Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael, on 25.5 percent. Fine Gael’s coalition partner, Labour, won just seven seats, down from 37 in the 2011 elections.
