Simon Coveney assures Dara Calleary FG not seeking a snap second election
Tánaiste Simon Coveney has called his opposite number in Fianna Fáil to assure him Fine Gael is not seeking to orchestrate a snap second general election.
Mr Coveney rang Dara Calleary this morning to quell mounting speculation that plans for a second election were moving apace, insisting officials are merely trying to do their duty and explore options should an election need to be held while Covid-19 conditions are still in play.
A media report on Saturday revealed that a plan on how to hold a general election in the midst of the coronavirus crisis – including spreading voting over a number of days, giving “cocooners” a postal vote and allowing polling in nursing homes – is being drawn up within Government.
The Irish Times report said a limited number of Cabinet Ministers are aware of the plans, but sources said they are being drafted by officials on the orders of Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy on a contingency basis should the current negotiations to form a government fail.
One option being mooted is to hold voting over two or three days to allow for social distancing at polling stations. In such a scenario polling days may be allocated to certain addresses or streets, but no firm decisions have been made.
Speaking today, Mr Coveney said he rang Mr Calleary to dampen down speculation that his party is seeking to collapse the current talks process.
“I rang Dara to assure him and he is,” Mr Coveney told RTE's The Week in Politics.
The Tánaiste also said his government acknowledges the anomalies which have arisen in those who are in receipt of the €350-a-week Covid-19 emergency payment and said they will “seek to correct that” if legally possible.
He was speaking amid controversy that women returning from maternity leave are currently outside the scope of the measure, a situation which the opposition said is unacceptable.
Mr Coveney said there is not a lack of will to fix the problem but said any move would have to be legally permissable and there is uncertainty about that.
Sinn Féin's Louise O'Reilly said new legislation is not needed to include those women returning from maternity leave, arguing a ministerial order from Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe could resolve it.
