The Minister for the Environment and the Labour party’s deputy leader Alan Kelly has said he fully expects that the general election will be held in 2016.
Mr Kelly said he believes the Taoiseach Enda Kenny will not bring forward the election as he is an “honourable man”.
Mr Kelly told reporters: “He has always kept his word on everything and I expect that to be the case here as well,” Mr Kelly said. “It is at the Taoiseach’s discretion, but he has always indicated that it would be early 2016 and I have no reason to believe that it will be any way different.”
Meanwhile the Tánaiste and Labour party leader Joan Burton has also said she is “very confident” that the general election will be held 2016 rather than the end of the year. Ms Burton told reporters she has “never been a quitter” and wants to see out Labour’s five-year term.
The news comes as the Taoiseach yet again refused to give a date for an election this morning.