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A TD group from Fianna Fáil has rejected suggestions from Fine Gael politicians that Leo Varadkar should take first place as Taoiseach in a coalition agreement involving the two sides.
Fine Gael TDs and senators, including ministers, are pushing for Varadkar to be the first in any rotating Taoiseach deal, with some arguing that he should remain in place to lead the country through the coronavirus crisis.
But Fianna Fáil’s TDs have insisted that party leader Micheál Martin should take office from the start of any new coalition and that Mr. Varadkar earning the first term in office would not be approved by the Fianna Fáil membership.
Veteran TD Marc MacSharry said he believes his party would reject an agreement where Martin was not Taoiseach first and Jackie Cahill of Tipperary said the same.
MacSharry said that Fianna Fáil is the biggest party on the Dáil and that if there is a rotating Taoiseach “these issues are decided by the number of seats, not the number of appearances on ‘The Late Late Show’.”
Limerick City TD Willie O’Dea also named Fianna Fáil as the biggest party.
“I don’t see any logic for Leo Varadkar going first,” he said.
Laois-Offaly’s TD, Seán Fleming, said it would be “more difficult” for a coalition agreement to approve Fianna Fáil’s membership if Varadkar is Taoiseach first.
Kildare North TD James Lawless said he would expect Martin to lead the government from the start.
“If it is a change of government, it must change from top to bottom,” he said.
Neither Mr. Martin nor Mr. Varadkar would be drawn on the subject in separate interviews on Newstalk radio. The government formation talks continued last night with a meeting between Tánaiste deputy leaders Simon Coveney of Fine Gael, Dara Calleary of Fianna Fáil and Catherine Martin of the Green Party.
Irish independent
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