Irish Government Coalition Set for New Term Despite Opposition Attack

dublin - The Irish government coalition of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is preparing for a new term despite opposition attacks. Current partner the Greens suffered major losses in the recent election.

The Irish government coalition of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is gearing up for a new term following intense vote counting that lasted over two days. The question remains whether a coalition partner is needed after the Greens, the current partner, were obliterated in last week's election.

Fianna Fail, the party that was decimated following the severe credit crisis in 2011, has made a remarkable comeback. Historically, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael used to alternate as the largest party every few years up until a decade ago.

The rise of Sinn Féin, previously mainly active in Northern Ireland, led to the two parties forming a coalition since the last election in 2020. They are set to continue this partnership. Fianna Fail holds slightly more seats, which likely means they will share the prime ministership again, first with Micheál Martin of Fianna Fail, followed by Simon Harris of Fine Gael.

Ireland, a unique country, boasts a booming economy and a considerable budget surplus, yet discontent abounds. Over the past years, there has been a scarcity of new housing, a lingering consequence of the credit crisis when speculative construction was rampant, leaving entire neighborhoods deserted for years. Purchasing a home has become nearly impossible, rents are skyrocketing, and the cost of living is a concern, with healthcare and education systems under strain.

Opposition party Sinn Féin seemed to benefit from these issues initially but lost support over the past year due to party scandals and their failure to address rising immigration concerns. Despite polling around 35 percent mid-last year, they only secured 19 percent of the first preference votes in the recent elections. However, they might still gain more seats than in 2020, thanks to the intricacies of the preference vote system and the expansion of the Irish parliament from 160 to 174 seats.

The biggest disappointment was for coalition partner the Greens, with only party leader Roderic O’Gorman retaining his seat. This marks the second time the Greens faced setbacks after joining a coalition, the first being in 2011 when they received no votes as a consequence of their role in the chaos of the credit crisis.

All eyes were on the election in Dublin Central, where notorious criminal Gerry Hutch seemed poised to secure a seat. Hutch, who had his first encounter with law enforcement at the age of eight, was part of a notorious criminal gang but appeared to be headed for a parliamentary seat on Saturday.

Labor, however, emerged victorious in the race. When asked if he would run for office again, Hutch humorously remarked that he had been 'on the run' his whole life, alluding to his years of being in and out of prison.