Joan Burton refuses to rule out coalition with Fianna Fáil
Tánaiste Joan Burton has re-opened the possibility of joining forces with Fianna Fáil after the General Election.
The Labour Party leader refused to rule out a coalition with Micheál Martin's party after being grilled over the potential move today amid fresh speculation surrounding which parties may form the next Government.
Speaking a day after Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams failed to specifically rule out a Coalition with Fianna Fáil, Ms Burton was asked if she would consider joining a "grand coalition" involving the three political parties after the imminent general election.
The Tánaiste dismissed the possibility by saying: "I don't foresee any circumstances in which Labour would be involved in government with Sinn Féin" and heavily criticised the rival party over its economic plans, saying "it wasn't obvious to me how the numbers add up".
However, when asked if she would similarly categorically rule out joining forces with Fianna Fáil after the vote, Ms Burton twice declined to say the option will not be considered, saying while she is "very confident this Government will be re-elected" ultimately "decisions around the election lie with voters".
A potential change in Coalition has gained attention in recent weeks due to the closeness of the rival party groups in recent polls, an issue that has gathered renewed momentum over the past 24 hours.
The latest polls show Fine Gael on 30%, Sinn Féin on 21%, Fianna Fáil on 19% and Labour on just 7%, with the remainder of votes going to Independents and smaller parties like Renua, the Social Democrats and the Socialist Party.
Should the General Election results reflect these positions, the current Fine Gael-Labour coalition may not continue after the vote due to Labour's struggling popularity - meaning other options are being examined.
On Tuesday, Deputy Adams on four occasions declined to rule out forming a coalition with Fianna Fáil if his own party was the larger of the two after the general election.
Later that night, Sinn Féin said the potential move was "extremely unlikely".
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin dismissed the possible coalition as "nonsense" and "Sinn Féin posturing ahead of the elections", saying the rival party's "policy platform and way of doing business are incompatible with Fianna Fáil".
However, despite saying his party is an alternative to Fine Gael and Labour, the Cork South Central TD has, over the past two years, repeatedly failed to clarify which parties he would consider doing business with - a necessity if the party does not significantly increase its 19% stake in the polls.
