Ireland’s Main Parties Reach Government Deal, Irish Times Says
(Bloomberg) -- Ireland’s centrist political parties struck a deal to form a coalition government, backed by a handful of unaligned lawmakers, after weeks of negotiations, according to the Irish Times.
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The two main parties, incumbent partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, between them won almost enough for a parliament majority in an election in November. To get them over the line, they had a choice of bringing in a third party or doing a deal with independent politicians.
The Irish Times reported Tuesday that the so-called Regional Independent Group of lawmakers agreed to a draft program, citing Michael Lowry, a member of the group.
While the deal is still subject to ratification by the Fine Gael and Fianna Fail parties, it looks likely to be approved in time for the resumption of parliament on Jan. 22.
It’s still not confirmed whether Fine Gael leader Simon Harris will remain as prime minister, or if that role will be filled by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin.
Either way, as the two main parties prepare to return for another term in power together, it symbolizes how Ireland has bucked the global trend of frustrated voters ousting incumbents. The governing parties were helped in part by a large budget surplus at their disposal to back their political promises.
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