The Irish Parliament will resume its proceedings on Wednesday with Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin expected to return as taoiseach for a second time.
The 35th Dáil (Irish Parliament) will see Mr Martin elected taoiseach (prime minister), replacing Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, who will return as tánaiste (deputy prime minister).
Fianna Fáil – the largest party – formed a government with Fine Gael and a series of independent regional Teachtaí Dála (TDs) after November election.
Sinn Féin remains the largest opposition party after winning 39 seats. Fianna Fáil gained 48 seats while Fine Gael was third with 38 seats.
Martin and Harris confirmed the government’s new draft program earlier this month.
The agreement paved the way for the next government and was successfully approved by both parties in recent days.
Speaking after his party endorsed the government programme, Mr Martin said there was a “strong commitment” from his party to deliver results for the Irish people.
“I can assure you that we will spare no effort to work selflessly on behalf of the Irish people to implement this government program, improve people’s circumstances and improve the quality of life as we navigate very difficult global waters. turbulent.” he said.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael excluded Sinn Féin as a coalition partner, which party leader Mary Lou McDonald called “bad practice”.
This is the first time the new government will sit after the November elections, with government negotiations expected to last around five weeks.
The new Dáil has already been a source of controversy after a number of independent TDs, including Michael Lowry, Danny Healy-Rae, Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole, who support the government, were keen to sit down and speak from the opposition benches.
New Ceann Comhairle (chair) – also regional independent – Verona Murphy, who is the first woman to hold the position, told TDs she would consider proposals opposing the plan, but allowed the group to take “provisionally ” its original seats for the moment. .
All other opposition groups are against the idea, calling it having a foot in both camps and taking time away from those who want to scrutinize the government.
As part of the Dáil’s return on Wednesday, Mr Martin will travel to Áras an Uachtaráin at around 1:00 p.m. local time to meet Irish President Michael D Higgins in the State Reception Room.
The President will then sign the warrant of appointment and present the Taoiseach’s seal and the Government seal to Mr Harris.
Later, around 8:00 p.m., the nomination of members of the government will begin.
The President will sign the Warrant of Appointment of Members of the Government and the Warrant of Appointment of the Attorney General, each of which will be countersigned by the Taoiseach.
The president will then give each minister their seal of office in turn.
