Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced that he would officially offer his resignation. Previously, as expected, none of the three major Irish parties had been able to get enough votes to elect the head of government.
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In the elections almost two weeks ago, the left-wing party Sinn Fein surprisingly had the two established bourgeois parties – Varadkars Fine Gael and Fianna Fail – thrown from the throne, This marked a political upheaval in the Republic of Ireland initiated.
Sinn Fein boss Mary Lou McDonald had received the most votes on Thursday – but at 45 she was still far from the required 80 votes. Sinn Fein used to be a political arm of the underground organization IRA (Irish Republican Army) and is committed to the reunification of Ireland. The party was outlawed for a long time. Even today, critics accuse Sinn Fein of sticking to her blood.
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Sinn Fein surprised by election success
Varadkar excludes cooperation with Sinn Fein. He has led a minority government tolerated by Fianna Fail. He warned of months of negotiations in the political impasse.
McDonald had focused on social issues such as the housing crisis and especially addressed younger voters. She had announced that she would be the first prime minister in her country and preferred to talk to the smaller leftist parties about forming a government. At the elections on February 8, Sinn Fein had not counted on the high level of support and had not enough candidates.
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Should Sinn Fein participate in government, the call for an early referendum on Irish reunification in Dublin should become the official line of government. That would also affect the Brussels negotiations with London on future relations after the end of the Brexit transition period.
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