Old Rivals: The Irish Government
Photograph of Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin. Photo courtesy of Agence France-Presse.
On 15 July three Irish parties, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party agreed to a historic coalition government after elections in February (see article: Shaking Up Ireland: Sinn Féin)
If the deal is approved by party members, it would be the first time in history that the centre-right parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael entered into government together, as reported by CNBC.
The two rival parties, together with the Green Party, are beleived to have come to this agreement in an attempt to keep Sinn Féin, a liberal party with ties to the Irish Republican Army (IRA), out of a governing coalition.
The formation of this government comes admist the chaos of the COVID-19, economic uncertainty, rising unemployment rates, and ongoing Brexit negotiations.
Micheál Martin, the leader of Fianna Fail, will be named Taoiseach (the Irish equivalent to Prime-Minister). However, the parties have agreed to a revolving executive, with Fine Gael leader current Taoiseach Leo Varadkar replacing Mr Martin after his term, as reported by The New York Times.
According to The Irish Times, the European Union has accused British negotiators of backtracking, with lead EU negotatior Michel Barnier stating ‘My responsibility is to tell the truth…The truth is that there was no substantial progress’.
Brexit negotiations come as a particular interest to Irish voters, due to tensions over trade relations and the Irish ‘backstop’.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Ireland was one of the European Union’s, best-performing economies, a title that the Irish government would like to regain after the virus.
While Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have similar centre-right policies, their historic differences and the carbon policies of the Green Party may make the long-term sustainability of deal uncertain.
The draft deal between the three parties includes language that would create a new government department dedicated to promoting cooperation and investment with Northern Ireland. As well as supporting the new Stormont Administration (an agreement by a group of Northern Irish parties, earlier this year, to reopen the Northern Irish assembly), according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
The deal also puts aside prospects to reintroduce the centre-left Labour Party and other smaller liberal parties into government, as had been suggested by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald after the election.
After 130 days of post-election negotiations, many Irish voters want to see a stable government in parliament to deal with the ongoing public health and economic crisis.
The coaliton’s programme will be publically members. A final result is expected to be announced by 26 June.
Sources:
Considine, Michael. ‘Historic foes put aside differences to form tri-party coalition in Ireland’. CNBC, NBCUniversal, 17 June 2020,
Landler, Mark. ‘Ireland’s 2 Main Parties to Jointly Govern for First Time’. The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 15 June 2020,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/world/europe/ireland-coalition-government.html
O’Leary, Naomi. ‘EU accuses Britain of backtracking as Brexit deadline near’. The Irish Times, Irish Times Trust, 05 June 2020,
McCormack, Jayne. ‘Irish government: Where does NI feature in draft deal?’. BBC News, British Broadcasting Corporation, 17 June 2020,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53058321