News / EU

Irish PM says ready for talks with main rival on new govt.

Wednesday, 02 March 2016 4:47 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 02 March 2016 4:45 PM ]

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny ©Reuters

The Irish prime minister says he is ready to hold negotiations with his party's traditional rival, Fianna Fail, about the possible formation of a new government in the European country.

Enda Kenny made the remarks on Wednesday in Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, after the Fine Gael/Labour coalition government he had led for the past five years failed to secure a return to office in the general elections of February 26.

Kenny said although all options of setting up a government were difficult, he remained committed to try the task.

"As the leader of the largest party, and as the Taoiseach (prime minister) it's my responsibility to work to see that that process is put in place, and that includes talking to the Fianna Fail party," he said.

With only two seats still up for grabs in Ireland's 158-member parliament, Kenny's center-right Fine Gael has won 49 seats, Fianna Fail 44, and Labour just six. The Sinn Fein republican party is also in the third place with 23 seats while independents and smaller parties have secured 34 seats.

Vote counting gets underway in Dublin, Ireland, on February 27, 2016. ©AP

Fine Gael has fallen short of the 80 seats needed to form a majority in the Irish legislature.

The two parties, which have gained most of the votes, have ruled out a coalition with the third-largest party. Analysts say there are only two options, an alliance between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail or a minority Fine Gael government with support from Fianna Fail on a vote-by-vote basis.

Fianna Fail lawmaker, Dara Calleary, told state broadcaster RTE that a formal coalition with Fine Gael was a "dreadful prospect." Fine Gael Minister Simon Coveney also said the country did not need a government "that is weak, that is not stable, that is likely to fall at any time."

Ireland has adopted austerity measures in order to compensate for the 67.5-billion-euro (75.1-billion-dollar) bailout it received from the troika of international lenders –the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund – back in 2010.

The policies have greatly affected the public services and increased the rate of unemployment in the country. People have held protests to call for an end to the government’s austerity agenda.

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