The leader of Fianna Fáil praised his party’s General Election performance, but claimed he will let the ‘dust settle’ on the results before any talk of the next government. With Micheál Martin’s party on course to secure the most seats in the Dail, speculation is intensifying around the potential make-up of the next coalition in Dublin. After two days of counting following Friday’s poll, and with more than 136 of the 174 seats filled by late Sunday night, the return of a coalition involving Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael now looks a much more likely prospect than any other alternative with Sinn Féin.
Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael ruled out governing with Sinn Féin before the election. Speaking to reporters in Cork on Sunday night, Mr Martin said it had been a ‘good day for Fianna Fáil’. Hours earlier, he said he needed to take a walk to think through the possibilities around government formation.
Asked later in the evening if he now had a clearer picture, the Tánasite said: ‘I didn’t get the walk yet – that may be tomorrow morning. ‘I think the sensible thing is to await the completion of all counts.’ He added: ‘We’ll let the dust settle and savour the moment.
We’ll then be in a position over the next couple of days to assess the landscape, devise our strategies.’ Another major story of the election was the near wipeout of the Green Party . The party lost 11 of its 12 TDs, including Media minister Catherine Martin, with leader Roder.
