Tánaiste evasive on chance of early election

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has declined to say whether there will be an early election, noting that at the start of this Dáil he was told by “multiple” TDs that the current coalition would not last six months.

The Fianna Fáil leader was speaking in Fermoy on Thursday at the sod-turning of a new Tesco supermarket, and was asked whether there would be an election in November or whether the Government would run its full term.

“It’s very close to running its full term, let’s be honest, it’s defied the critics,” he said.

The current coalition was negotiated in the wake of the February 2020 general election, and after four months the current coalition was agreed, with Mr Martin becoming Taoiseach on June 27.

On December 17, 2022, Mr Martin was replaced as Taoiseach by Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar, who subsequently was replaced on April 9 of this year by Simon Harris.

“I can recall that when I was putting this government together, some excited TDs came up to me and said ‘It won’t last six months, you’re doing the wrong thing’.” Mr Martin did not answer when asked whether it will last the four months between November, when many people expect there to be an election, and March, by which time there has to be an election.

Asked the political parties of the TDs he had mentioned, he replied, to laughter: “Multiple. Including my own”, before declining to name the TDs.

There has been speculation that the general election, which has to occur before March 2025, will be called between the Budget in October and Christmas.