Coalition Government Formation in Ireland

Investing.com — Ireland's two primary center-right parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are moving towards forming a coalition government alongside a group of independent lawmakers. This advancement occurred on Wednesday when they successfully elected an independent lawmaker as the speaker of the lower house of parliament.

In the November 29 election, Fine Gael, led by Prime Minister Simon Harris, and Fianna Fail, led by Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin, were just two seats short of the 88 needed to form a government. They are now looking to gain support from independent lawmakers or one of the two small center-left parties, Labour or the Social Democrats, to ensure a comfortable governing majority.

Despite ongoing talks with center-left parties, most observers believe that the chances of securing an agreement with independent lawmakers are higher. This was suggested when Fine Gael and Fianna Fail assisted in electing Verona Murphy, an independent member of the Regional Independent Group, as the speaker of the lower house—one of the country's highest-paid political roles.

Before the vote, Prime Minister Harris encouraged his party members to support Murphy to help in the overall formation of the government, according to a statement from Fine Gael. State broadcaster RTE reported that this appointment could usher in a new government comprised of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, and the Regional Independent Group.

Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are hopeful of reaching an agreement on a new coalition government by early next year.

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