More than a month after the elections in Ireland, an agreement has been reached for the formation of a new government. The two historic centre-right parties will once again lead the executive: Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. According to the pact, Micheal Martin, the leader of Fianna Fail, who came first in the elections, will be the first to hold the position of Taoiseach (prime minister) which he had already held between 2020 and 2022, remaining in office for the first three years of the five-year government. Then, as in the last legislature, there will be a relay and the leadership of the executive will pass to the Fine Gael leader (and outgoing prime minister), Simon Harris, who will take over in November 2027.
The two parties, which led the outgoing coalition, had been in negotiations since they failed to achieve a majority in the November 29 elections also due to the fact that the Greens, the junior partner of the outgoing coalition, lost all but one seat at the polls Alone. Sinn Fein remains in opposition, a radical left-wing and nationalist party that has failed to maintain the relative majority strength record achieved in 2020, but which is nevertheless the second largest party in Ireland.
The plan
Under the plan, Harris will become deputy prime minister with a broader role in foreign affairs, including international trade, so as to strengthen diplomatic efforts to prevent any risk to the Irish economy during Donald Trump’s administration in the United States. The new government program was drawn up over five weeks of negotiations involving the two centre-right parties and a seven-member Regional Independent Group, as well as two independents from County Kerry, Michael and Danny Healy. -Rae, who are brothers.
In a joint statement, Martin and Harris said their goal is “a strong, stable government” that will seek to continue making progress on the economy, infrastructure, housing and public services over the next five years. The 162-page draft government program must be ratified by parties and independents before Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament, returns next Wednesday to form Ireland’s 34th government.