Law student and Fianna Fáil activist Patrick Dunne, who assisted in Declan Breathnach’s campaign, dismissed the notion of the two parties combining to form the next Government.
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With the second- and third-largest parties, Fianna Fail, and Sinn Fein, ruling out a coalition with Fine Gael, analysts say Kenny will not be able reach a majority without eventually striking some sort of agreement with Fianna Fail to form a government.
He said any new administration must be “long-lasting” and his party is “fully united” behind Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
Fine Gael’s Labour partner in the outgoing coalition won just seven seats, just ahead a grouping called the Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit which won six seats in the parliament, or Dail.
In last week’s election, Fine Gael won 49 out of 158 seats with 2 left to be filled.
Asked about the prospect of forming a minority government supported by Fianna Fail, Varadkar said: “It would be extremely hard, we don’t trust each other as parties”.
Voter turnout in the Irish vote was 65.1 percent, lower than the 70 percent in the previous 2011 election which came after a banking crisis and bailout that precipitated the fall of a Fianna Fail government.
“But there will be a lot of pressure from Fine Gael for us to go in with them”, he said.
“We’ll talk to anyone, even Fianna Fail”, Fine Gael lawmaker Damien English said in an interview with broadcaster RTE on Friday in Dublin.
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.
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The swing to anti-establishment and anti-austerity parties echoed recent elections in other eurozone countries like Spain and Portugal which also led to political deadlock.
