Ireland has delayed choosing its new prime minister after a row over speaking rights sparked angry scenes in the parliament.
The Irish Parliament, called the Dail, had this morning convened to nominate a new prime minister, with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin poised to take on the position.
However, the process was pushed back hours – and eventually adjourned until tomorrow – after a dispute over the new government led to widespread disorder and clashes.
Mr Martin had been due to take on the role of PM, called the taoiseach, after his party made an agreement with another, Fine Gael, and a selection of independents.
However, a disagreement over whether some of the independents would be given opposition speaking time led to today’s proceedings ending without the new Irish PM being officially chosen.
Five of the nine independents are due to given junior minister posts, while the remaining four are seeking to join a technical group – a mechanism designed to give opposition TDs (the Irish equivalent of MPs) speaking time.
This move has been widely rejected by opposition parties including Sinn Fein, Labour and the Social Democrats – who argue the independents supporting the incoming government should not be allowed to join technical groups.
Ireland correspondent
What a shambles. An unprecedented day in Irish politics, for all the wrong reasons.
Everyone knew a slightly politically wonky row about speaking rights was brewing.
Nobody thought it would actually sabotage the country getting a new prime minister.
Micheal Martin must now wait until tomorrow – at best – to become taoiseach for the second time.
He must feel slightly jinxed. When he first got the job, it was in pared-back fashion at the height of Covid, with his family prevented from attending.
Covid also kiboshed his first trip to the White House in 2021.
The following year, he made it as far as Washington, before catching Covid himself and scrapping his meeting with Joe Biden.
With his proud family in the public gallery today, his second term got off to the worst possible start – in that, it didn’t start at all.
His new coalition relies on some independent TDs (MPs).
They want speaking rights in the Dail, as if they were part of the opposition – infuriating opposition parties like Sinn Fein and Labour, who see it as having their cake and eating it.
The row has been grumbling on for a few days, but everyone assumed a procedural compromise would be found.
It wasn’t, and questions will be asked of the new government parties as to why they failed to properly pave the way for today’s appointment of a taoiseach.
Micheal Martin has the numbers, the deal, and will be prime minister again.
But it was an incredibly inauspicious first day back at the office for him and his partners – one they must ensure is not repeated.
When the Dail met to nominate a taoiseach at 11am, opposition members repeatedly interrupted proceedings.
Speaker Veronica Murphy suspended the Dail multiple times before it was agreed party whips would meet with the parliament’s clerk to seek a resolution – but the talks failed.
Addressing the chamber at 4.25pm, the government’s chief whip Hildegarde Naughton said the process should proceed and a Fianna Fail TD stood to begin the process of nominating Mr Martin as PM.
However, members of Sein Fein – including its leader Mary Lou McDonald – continued interrupting.
Ms Murphy then adjourned the Dail until 9am on Thursday.
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Speaking to the press outside parliament, Mr Martin said: “The most fundamental obligation of the Dail is to elect a taoiseach and, indeed, to elect a government.
“That opportunity was denied today by a premeditated, coordinated and choreographed position by the opposition and particularly by Sinn Fein party.”
“The actions of the opposition, the actions of Sinn Fein today, were wholly disproportionate to the issue at hand, which could have been resolved,” he added.
