Leo: Win an election right now? Maybe not
LEO Varadkar has a admitted he might not win an early general election with the added risk that he could find Fine Gael in a ‘coalition with fewer ministers, so you may end up with less power’.
The Taoiseach also said he can’t give an ‘absolute guarantee’ there won’t be an election in 2019 – but that he is ‘not planning one’.
Fine Gael, along with the support of Independents in Government, relies on a Confidence and Supply deal between it and Fianna Fáil. The original deal following the 2016 general election covered three budgets, which was set to expire this year but after negotiations between the two parties, Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin confirmed they will ‘extend a guarantee that government will be able to operate throughout 2019’.
Mr Varadkar also said he is ‘very conscious that if there was an election, I mightn’t win it’.
‘You could lose the election. Or I could find my party in a coalition with fewer ministers, so you may end up with less power after an election,’ he added.
‘So I’m not going to rush into an election for opportunistic reasons just because the polls look good and I hope after a year and a half in office, people believe me when I say that.
‘But the key test is: can you actually deliver?... Can you get your policies implemented? And so far in co-operation with Fianna Fail we’ve been able to do that. But there are many reasons why that may change.’
When asked if he could guarantee an election wouldn’t be called if Brexit is settled, Mr Varadkar said: ‘The situation is that we’ve agreed that there won’t be an election, given the uncertainty around Brexit, and that we – as Fine Gael and Independents in government – that with Fianna Fáil we will try to negotiate another budget.
‘There’s always the possibility that we won’t be able to negotiate that budget, but we’ve negotiated three and I’d be confidence that we could negotiate four,’ he continued.
‘So my plan is to focus on getting the job done – on securing the [Brexit] withdrawal agreement. If we can’t, managing a nodeal scenario, facing obviously into European and local elections in May and getting on with the business of government. So I’m not making any plans to call an election by any means.’
‘The key test is: can you deliver?’