According to Michael Martin, the Healy-Raes are believable as possible government partners, reports The Mirror.
The head of Fianna Fail stated that party negotiators were making every effort to conclude government formation negotiations “as quickly as we can,” but he also mentioned that the details of a rotating taoiseach were still up for debate.
In an additional indication that a third party in the coalition is improbable, he said that any agreement would need the consent of a “range of independents”, reports The Mirror.
Simon Harris, the head of Fine Gael, has stated that his party is trying to create a government with Fianna Fail that will include a rotating taoiseach system.
After the 2020 election, the parties reached an agreement to divide the top position evenly, but in the November elections, Fianna Fail widened their lead over Fine Gael to 10 seats, reports The Mirror.
Mr. Martin said that “nothing has been finally agreed” when asked if the next government will split the taoiseach position in favour of Fianna Fail in a three-to-two-year ratio.
He responded, “You may speculate, but I’m not pre-empting anything,” when asked if he would assume the position first and become the next taoiseach.
“There has to be a Dail vote and there has to be agreement between Fianna Fail and the Fine Gael party and a range of independents,” reports The Mirror.
Mr. Harris stated on Tuesday that it is “possible” but “a little bit tight” to achieve a final agreement before the Dail’s return on January 22.
When asked if he thought this timetable was achievable, Mr. Martin expressed optimism that the discussions would have been completed by January 20, the day of the US presidential inauguration, reports The Mirror.
When asked whether he will meet US President-elect Donald Trump on St. Patrick’s Day in Washington, DC, Mr. Martin responded, “We’ve always been there on St. Patrick’s Day, yeah.”
The taoiseach at the time is customarily the one who makes that visit, reports The Mirror.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are anticipated to rely on independents to fill the numbers because they are barely short of building a majority on their own.
Mr. Martin stated that there had been “significant progress” in recent days and that the parties were mostly concerned with policy, reports The Mirror.
Negotiators will meet with the Independent Ireland party on Thursday, he added, adding that talks with independents are still ongoing.
Two independent Kerry TDs, brothers Michael and Danny Healy-Rae, have indicated that they would want to discuss government formation with the parties.
When asked if they would be trustworthy partners, Mr. Martin responded, “Yes, I’ve had substantive discussions with Michael and Danny Healy-Rae on policy issues with a view to enabling a government that can sustain for five years,” reports The Mirror.
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