LEO BACKS RETURN OF ROTATING TAOISEACH

Taoiseach eyes FG coalition again

LEO Varadkar has mooted a return of the rotating Taoiseach arrangement if Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are voted back into government.

It means the historic coalition between the civil war foes, formed after the 2020 elections with the Greens as junior partner, could be repeated in 2024.

Fianna Fail held the office of the Taoiseach between June 2020 and December 2022 with Fine Gael taking over from December 2022 until the next election.

Mr Varadkar said he does not have a date in mind for the election – but he believes the current coalition could be re-elected with another Taoiseach swap.

“I anticipate that all three parties will run independently in the next election,” the Taoiseach explained.

“We will have our own manifestos and seek our own mandates.

“But, certainly, I believe that this is a Government that can be reelected. We’re four years together now. We’ve worked well together.” Citing the 40%-plus combined pull of the three parties in opinion polls, he added: “That’s not far off what’s required for a Government to be reelected.

“I’d like us to continue our work and we’d like to see this Government reelected.

“It’s even possible that we could see a return of the arrangement around rotating Taoiseach. I think ELECTION if we find ourselves in a scenario where the two parties are roughly the same size that possibility exists for the future too and for the next government. “But it is the people who decide that, ultimately.” When asked if Green Party leader Eamon Ryan could get a year in the Taoiseach’s chair, Mr Varadkar said if all three parties got in and around the same share of the votes, then it is something that could be considered.