Micheal Martin’s Fianna Fail party will form a coalition with Fine Gael. AP
Veteran politician Micheal Martin was set to become Ireland’s prime minister for a second time yesterday when lawmakers formally approve him as head of a coalition government.
The confirmation comes almost two months after an election in which Martin’s Fianna Fail party won the most seats, but not enough to govern alone.
After weeks of talks, the long-dominant center-right parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael agreed to form a coalition with the support of several independent lawmakers.
Under the deal, Martin, 64, will be taoiseach, or prime minister, for three years, with Fine Gael’s Simon Harris – the outgoing taoiseach – as his deputy. The two politicians will then swap jobs for the rest of the five-year term.
Members of both parties have ratified the government agreement.
In Ireland’s November 29 election, Fianna Fail won 48 of the 174 legislative seats and Fine Gael 38.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail share broadly similar center-right policies They formed an alliance after the 2020 election ended in a virtual dead heat.
Their new agreement shuts out left-of-center party Sinn Fein, which won 39 seats.
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