Taoiseach selection delayed as Irish Parliament erupts in row
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The process of selecting Ireland’s next premier was significantly delayed as the Dail erupted into a row over speaking time. The Irish Parliament had convened on Wednesday to nominate a new Taoiseach but the process was pushed back hours after Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) Verona Murphy called multiple suspensions amid widespread disorder on the opposition benches.
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin had been poised to become Taoiseach after his party agreed a Programme for Government with Fine Gael and a selection of independent TDs to secure a majority. However, the agreement with the independents sparked an enormous row over parliamentary rules on speaking time which delayed the proceedings.
Five of the nine independents who entered into negotiations are due to be given junior ministries, with the remainder expressing support for the Programme for Government but not taking up an official post. The four remaining independents are seeking to join a technical group, which is a mechanism designed to allow opposition TDs to sit in groupings of at least five members to gain an allocation of speaking time.
This has been widely rejected by opposition parties, including Sinn Fein, Labour and the Social Democrats, who argue that the independents who supported the incoming Government should not be allowed to join technical groups. Ms Murphy, who was appointed to the Ceann Comhairle position with support from the regional group, said she would allow the four Government-supporting independent TDs to sit in a technical group on an interim basis while considering the opposition parties’ objections.
