Government formation: Party voting for members of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Greens underway
Counting of the votes of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green Party members is underway as the parties decide whether or not to endorse the programme for government deal in Ireland.
The count results from all three parties are expected to be announced at around 6pm on Friday evening.
It has been 134 days since Ireland’s inconclusive general election.
The two larger parties need the support of the Greens to have a working majority in the Irish parliament, equating to around 80 seats.
All eyes are on the Green Party as some members have indicated they will vote against the agreement, citing concerns about emissions and housing targets.
It needs the approval of two-thirds of its 2,000 members as opposed to a simple majority for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
If the programme is endorsed, it would see Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin, whose party has the most seats, become the next Taoiseach.
Outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said on Thursday night that he believed the deal would get over the line.
He said: “My view is the three parties will vote to go into coalition with each other and that the yes vote will be larger than people expect and that we will have a new government on Saturday.”
Any administration will face an uphill task to restore an economy steered into recession by the coronavirus pandemic and government formation talks have been delayed by the emergency.
