Micheál Martin elected taoiseach after chaos subsides
Northern Ireland Politics Editor
Getty ImagesIrish Finance Minister Micheál Martin has been elected Taoiseach for a second time after chaos subsided in the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Irish parliament.
The House of Representatives was suspended several times on Wednesday following a heated dispute between the government and opposition parties.
Martin is one of the longest-serving members of the House of Representatives, first elected to the Cork South Central constituency in 1989 and served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2020 to 2022.
He will now hold the role until 2027, when Fine Gael leader Simon Harris takes over.
What happened on Wednesday?
Martin was due to be elected Taoiseach on Wednesday, but chaos broke out in the chamber.
Sinn Féin and other opposition MPs have expressed anger at plans to allow pro-government independents to serve as opposition MPs.
After the November election, Fine Gael and Fine Gael emerged as the largest and third largest parties respectively, pledging to return to government together.
However, after the Greens (coalition partner from 2020-2024) were reduced to one seat, they gained support from a small group of independent TDs.
This is necessary to give them a majority in the House of Representatives.
Sinn Féin won 39 seats and remains the largest opposition party.
The dispute began when four independent MPs who agreed to support the government wanted to form a “technical group” with two other independent MPs, which would allow them to gain speaking time and other rights from the opposition benches.
The group will be known as the Regional Independent Group.
Ceann Councilor Verona Murphy said she would consider objections to the plans but would allow the group to occupy its original seat “temporarily”.
All other opposition groups opposed the idea, saying pro-government independents wanted to serve in both government and opposition and take up the time of those who wanted to scrutinize the government.
Discussions took place throughout Wednesday in an attempt to find a solution, but negotiations failed.
There were several heated exchanges in the House before Murphy said proceedings would resume on Thursday morning, but she was met with loud shouts from opposition lawmakers.
The opposition TD was on his feet when Murphy returned to the chamber at 16:00 after multiple timeouts.
Members of Parliament subsequently abandoned plans to elect an Irish prime minister, and the process ended in a row among MPs.
What changed on Thursday?
Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) Verona Murphy ruled on Thursday morning that those independent TDs who support the government would not be given the status of opposition technical groups during the day’s House sitting.
The government also promised to address some of the issues raised by the opposition
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald welcomed the move, saying the government now “finally accepts that there has to be a distinction between government and opposition and that a TD cannot be in government and opposition at the same time” “.
Harris said Wednesday’s riot was a complete farce, calling it “obstructive and repressive and disrespectful to Sean Kornhale and the office of the Constitution.”
Martin said the delays were a “premeditated, coordinated and calculated position by the opposition and Sinn Féin in particular”.
Yet Macdonald claimed the government had “displayed incredible arrogance”.
Appointment process
Martin has held a number of ministerial posts in successive governments, including Foreign Affairs Minister and Health Minister
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald was also nominated as prime minister but failed to win enough support.
This afternoon the new Prime Minister will receive the Seal from President Michael D. Higgins
He will then return to Leinster House to appoint Ireland’s new cabinet ministers
There are 15 ministerial positions to be filled and 23 junior ministerial positions to be filled.
Martin and Harris confirm government’s new draft plan Early January.
The agreement paves the way for the next government and has been successfully endorsed by both parties in recent days.
Both Fine Gael and Fine Gael have ruled out Sinn Féin as a coalition partner, with party leader Mary Lou McDonald calling Sinn Féin a coalition partner “Bad practice”.
Scenes not seen in a century
Analysis: Enda McClafferty, Politics Editor
This is the start Michael Martin wanted or expected when he returned to the Taoiseach’s office for a second time
His election was postponed for 24 hours due to chaos in the House of Representatives yesterday.
The scars of that bruising session set the tone for the new House.
But Martin is an experienced politician who has weathered many political storms
He will be tested given the scale of the challenges the new government faces in tackling the housing and health crises
Not to mention the potential economic impact of another political leader returning to power this week — U.S. President Donald Trump
