Parties call for General Election now
SINN Fein, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit have called for a General Election after Leo Varadkar stepped down as Fine Gael leader.
Mr Varadkar revealed he would stay on as Taoiseach until a successor has been chosen by his party in a shock announcement made outside Government Buildings yesterday.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou Mcdonald said it marked “a critical moment in Irish politics”.
She added: “The decision of who now leads government as Taoiseach must be placed in the hands of the people.
“The decision of who is in government must be placed in the hands of the people.
“And today’s announcement can have only one conclusion: the calling of a General Election.”
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said while she wished Mr Varadkar well, the “writing is on the wall for this Government”.
She added: “And it’s clear that this Government don’t believe the public have confidence in their leader.
“It is in that context that the next Taoiseach should be elected by the electorate, not by Fine Gael.
“We don’t need a new Fine Gael Taoiseach. We need a new government. We need a General Election.”
In his reply to Ms Mcdonald, Mr Varadkar said that under the Irish constitution the Taoiseach is voted in by the Irish parliament, the Dail.
He said: “It’s not unprecedented for the Dail to elect a new Taoiseach during its term: that’s how I succeeded Enda Kenny.
“That’s how Brian Cowen succeeded Bertie Ahern, it’s how Jack Lynch succeeded Sean Lemass and indeed there are many other examples in our 100 years of democracy where a Taoiseach changed without there being a General Election.”