'A profound honour': Micheál Martin elected as Taoiseach for the second time
Newly nominated Taoiseach Micheál Martin with his wife Mary outside Leinster House. Photograph: Leon Farrell / © RollingNews.ie
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has been elected as the next taoiseach.
In a roll-call vote, Mr Martin was elected by a margin of 95 votes to 76.
"It is a profound honour to be nominated to serve as head of the government in a free, democratic and diverse republic," Mr Martin said.
In his speech, Mr Martin thanked his political colleagues for their support as well as his children, Micheál Aodh, Aoibhe and Cillian, and his wife Mary.
"No position I have held, and nothing I have achieved would have been possible without her," he said.
"I would also like to acknowledge my wider family and especially my late parents, Paddy and Lana."
Mr Martin vowed that he would lead a Government "which seeks to work in a spirit of practical republicanism".
"A spirit which has helped our country achieve so much in the past and which is essential if we are to meet the challenges of today.
"A spirit which will create equality of opportunity for all, which will work to underpin and promote the status, the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.
"A spirit that will build more houses at an accelerated pace, and work every day to build reconciliation between the different traditions on the island of Ireland," he said.
Outside Leinster House, Mr Martin came through a guard of honour of TDs and supporters, with smiles and handshakes all around, embracing and kissing his wife, before they got in their official car to head to Áras an Úachtaráin, where Mr Martin will receive the seal of the taoiseach and the seal of government from President Higgins.
Mr Martin will then return to government buildings, where cabinet will be appointed, and the new ministers will then go to the Áras and the president will sign the warrant of appointment for the ministers and the warrant of appointment of the attorney general, each of which will then be countersigned by the taoiseach.
President Higgins will then present each minister with their seal of office.
The process of appointing the cabinet is expected to be speeded up in an effort to get Oireachtas members and staff home before Storm Éowyn hits the country.
More to follow.
“As I was saying,” Fianna Fáil’s Albert Dolan, at 26 the youngest Government TD, began his nomination of Micheál Martin to become the next taoiseach.
Yesterday, the Galway East TD’s nomination had to be abandoned as the house had to be suspended overnight after it descended into chaos in an unholy row over speaking rights during opposition time for Independent TDs who support the Government.
The nomination of Mr Martin was seconded by Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South Central, Catherine Ardagh.
The nominations for taoiseach were preceded by a vote on the order of business, which had been forced by the opposition, and which passed by 95 to 77.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was nominated by Galway West TD Mairead Farrell, and seconded by Donegal TD Pearse Doherty, who made a number of allegations against Regional Independent TD Michael Lowry.
Ms McDonald said Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had normalised the difference between the haves and the have-nots, and said she hoped a day would come soon when Ireland would come for a government for working people.
Outgoing Taoiseach Simon Harris said Fine Gael would be supporting the nomination of Mr Martin, offering his his congratulations to Mr Martin and his wife Mary, their children Micheál Aodh, Cillian and Aoibhe, and their extended family and friends.
Mr Harris described Mr Martin as “simply, a very good and decent person.”
Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik offered Mr Martin and his family her congratulations, but added that the incoming Government’s policy was “as President Trump might say, ‘Roads, baby, roads’,” which led to a roar from Independent Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae, a junior minister in the new regime, 'What’s wrong with a few roads?'.
Cian O’Callaghan, acting leader of the Social Democrats, said there had been much lip service from the parties of the new Government but the composition of the cabinet betrayed how seriously disability was really taken, saying there should be a stand-alone minister for disability.
Opposition speeches are ongoing.
The way has now been cleared for the election of Micheál Martin to the office of taoiseach.
Dáil business has resumed for the nomination and election of the taoiseach, with all sides somber and for the most part well-behaved.
“Direct, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy holy inspirations and carry them on by Thy gracious assistance,” Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy intoned as she read the opening prayer, “that every word and work of ours may always begin from Thee, and by Thee be happily ended; through Christ Our Lord. Amen.”
Ms Murphy then said members of the house had a duty to conduct themselves in a manner befitting their solemn duty as elected parliamentarians.
Ms Murphy said that she would not, for the course of the day’s business, be granting speaking rights to the four Independent TDs who had been part of the formation of government talks but had been granted speaking rights in opposition time.
The controversy had yesterday led to ferocious scenes which resulted in the Dáil being suspended four times.
In a statement to the house, Government Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughten said the Government would seek to “achieve agreement” with the opposition on reforms of the standing orders governing the speaking rights of technical groups that will be considered by a new committee.
The committee will be set up immediately and will seek to complete its work by February 5, when the Dáil is due to return.
Despite this, opposition TDs have forced a vote on the order of business, and a roll call vote is now underway.
The resumption of Dáil business has now been pushed back until at least 11.30am, amidst rumours of bumps on the road to a deal between party leaders to get through today’s planned election of a taoiseach and the appointment of a cabinet.
It is understood that opposition parties are seeking a commitment that pro-government Independent TDs will in future speak during government time.
Yesterday’s Dáil session was halted four times amidst scenes of increasing rancour as the opposition united to protest the granting of speaking rights during opposition time to four Independent TDs who had been part of the formation of the incoming government.
It was a day which had been expected to be one of solemn Oireachtas business resulting in the election of Micheál Martin to the office of taoiseach, and his subsequent appointment of senior ministers, but which instead descended into chaos.
In a series of fractious outbursts from opposition TDs, the new Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy proved unable to control the house and an attempted walk-out by some Labour TDs was immediately followed by suspension of the house until this morning.
Speaking to press outside Government Buildings last evening, Mr Martin said the day’s events had seen a “subversion of the constitution”, noting that no previous Dáil in a century had failed to elect taoiseach.
A meeting of party leaders got underway just before 9am, and is believed to still be ongoing.
In a statement issued earlier, Ms Murphy, said that two Dáil technical groups would be recognised for the purposes of speaking time today but the Regional Independents Group, which includes the four Independent TDs would not be afforded the same rights.
It is understood that, assuming the impasse about Dáil speaking rights can be bypassed at least for today, the proceedings around the election of a taoiseach and the subsequent appointment of a cabinet will be truncated in an effort to get Oireachtas members and staff home before Storm Éowyn hits the country.
Once proceedings can get underway, Micheál Martin will be nominated and elected as taoiseach, before heading to Áras an Úachtaráin to receive the seal of the taoiseach and the seal of government from President Higgins.
Mr Martin will then return to government buildings, where cabinet will be appointed, and the new ministers will then go to the Áras and the president will sign the warrant of appointment for the ministers and the warrant of appointment of the attorney general, each of which will then be countersigned by the taoiseach.
President Higgins will then present each minister with their seal of office.
A meeting of party leaders was underway in Leinster House this morning in a bid to break the stalemate which saw Dáil proceedings halted four times yesterday and prevented the election of Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin to the office of taoiseach, and the subsequent appointment of cabinet ministers.
A day which should have been a set piece of Oireachtas pageantry instead descended into repeated scenes of uproar over a row mainly about the granting of opposition speaking rights to four Independent TDs who had helped draft the programme for government.
It was a day of disappointment for Mr Martin, who had been appointed taoiseach in 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, in a ceremony which took place in the sterile National Convention Centre and which could not be attended by his family and supporters.
This morning, however, some signs were emerging that the current logjam may be overcome and a taoiseach and cabinet may be appointed today.
At 8.30am, a number of the opposition leaders were talking at the bottom of the main staircase in Leinster House, with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald speaking with Labour leader Ivana Bacik, Michael Collins of Independent Ireland, and Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit.
Cian O’Callaghan, acting leader of the Social Democrats, arrived separately, coming from an interview with RTÉ’s .
Just before 9am, Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy issued a statement which seemed to offer a way through the current impasse.
The statement said that two Dáil technical groups will be recognised for the purposes of speaking time today but the Regional Independents Group, which includes Michael Lowry and the other three Independent TDs who support the Government, Barry Heneghan, Danny Healy-Rae and Gillian Toole (all of whom were involved in programme for government talks but did not receive junior ministries), will not be afforded the same rights.
Ms Murphy said she will seek senior counsel advice on the dispute about speaking rights, before coming to an impartial final decision, but in the meantime, “to avoid pre-judging her final decision on that dispute, the following technical groups will be recognised for the purposes of any debate in today’s proceedings pending a final ruling on the matter”: the Independent and Parties Technical Group and the Independent Technical Group.
Shortly after that, Micheál Martin and Simon Harris, the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, issued a statement reading:
“The formation of groups in Dáil Éireann is a matter for the Ceann Comhairle.
“This can meet as early as today but proportionality must also prevail.
“The most important duty the Dáil has is to elect a Taoiseach and government and both party leaders agree this must happen today.”
More to follow.
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