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Irish election: Fianna Fáil agrees to back minority Fine Gael government | Irish election: Fianna Fáil agrees to back minority Fine Gael government |
(35 minutes later) | |
Fianna Fáil has agreed to support a minority Fine Gael government over three budgets in the Republic of Ireland. | Fianna Fáil has agreed to support a minority Fine Gael government over three budgets in the Republic of Ireland. |
It could mean the Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny returning as Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) next week, subject to ratification. | |
Mr Kenny and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin are expected to talk over the weekend. | |
The parties are the two largest in the Republic of Ireland. | |
They met on Friday and said there was broad agreement on a range of fronts, including rent supplement increases and water charges. | |
Their respective parliamentary parties will consider the document and have to ratify it. | |
It will also need to attract the support of Independent TDs (MPs) for Mr Kenny to become the first Fine Gael Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) returned in successive elections. | |
The Irish parliament is due to meet again on Wednesday, it is unclear whether everything will be in place by then, as it is a bank holiday weekend in the Republic of Ireland. | |
"We have an agreement," acting transport minister Paschal Donohoe told journalists after weeks of talks between the two parties. | "We have an agreement," acting transport minister Paschal Donohoe told journalists after weeks of talks between the two parties. |
Fianna Fáil's Michael McGrath told the Irish state broadcaster RTÉ he was "pleased and relieved" to have concluded talks with Fine Gael. | |
He said the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party would be on standby over the weekend to meet once the final document agreement had been drafted. | |
Under the deal, Fianna Fáil will abstain in key votes, enabling the government to pass legislation. | |
With all other parties in the Republic of Ireland's fractured parliament refusing to join Fine Gael in government, the centre-right party needs to secure the support of some of the 14 independent TDs (MPs) it has been in talks with for weeks. | |
Fianna Fáil campaigned against the outgoing Fine Gael government in the recent election. | Fianna Fáil campaigned against the outgoing Fine Gael government in the recent election. |
Following February's election, Fine Gael had 50 seats, Fianna Fáil 44, Sinn Féin 23 and the Labour Party got seven. | Following February's election, Fine Gael had 50 seats, Fianna Fáil 44, Sinn Féin 23 and the Labour Party got seven. |
But no party was able to form a majority government and TDs have failed to elect a leader on three previous occasions. | But no party was able to form a majority government and TDs have failed to elect a leader on three previous occasions. |
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have dominated Irish politics since the early 1930s but they have never been in a formal coalition. |