Government formation talks are set to restart on Monday after the Christmas break, with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael racing to meet their self-imposed January deadline.
The negotiations, led by Helen McEntee for Fine Gael and Jack Chambers for Fianna Fáil, will pick up where they left off before the holiday pause. While both parties claim “progress” has been made, specific details remain closely guarded.
According to The Journal, the talks now involve four main players: Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Social Democrats, and the Regional Independents technical group, following Labour’s pre-Christmas exit over policy disagreements. However, insiders suggest the most likely outcome will be a Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael coalition supported by the Regional Independents, particularly after both major parties backed Independent TD Verona Murphy for Ceann Comhairle.
The Regional Independents, a nine-member group led by Michael Lowry TD, are reportedly seeking one ministry position and multiple junior minister roles. Housing has emerged as a key priority for the group, alongside various local constituency demands. However, group members have emphasized they’ll consider government participation individually rather than as a unified bloc.
Outgoing Taoiseach Simon Harris previously set an ambitious target of forming government before Donald Trump’s US presidential inauguration on January 20th. While a senior government source maintains this timeline, with party membership consultations still required, meeting this deadline appears increasingly challenging.