Sinn Fein looks set to miss out in new Irish coalition

A new coalition government in Ireland will not be in place before Christmas, the deputy leader of Fianna Fail said yesterday as the final election results were declared.

- DAVID YOUNG

Another joint administration with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael seems likely, with the addition of a smaller coalition partner.

But finance minister Jack Chambers said the parties involved in talks need “time and space” to ensure that any new government will be “coherent and stable”.

With only a few of the 174 seats in the Dail, or lower house, left to be decided well into the third day of vote counting, it was evident Fianna Fail was the clear winner and would emerge with the most TDs (members of the lower house).

While Sinn Fein and Fine Gael may end up with around the same number of seats, Fianna Fail’s clear preference is for a renewal of its partnership with Fine Gael, rather than breaking its long-standing vow not to govern alongside Sinn Fein.

If Fianna Fail and Fine Gael return to power, they may fall just short of the combined 88 seats required for a Dail majority.

They, therefore, will either need one of the Dail’s smaller parties to come on board as a junior partner, or to gain the support of a number of independent TDs.

While the Social Democrats and the Irish Labour Party appear the most realistic junior partners, both centre-left parties appear cautious about the prospect of an alliance with the two larger centre-right parties.

They will also no doubt be mindful of the experience of the Green Party, the junior partner in the last mandate. The Greens experienced near wipeout in the election, retaining only one of their 12 seats.