Opposition calls for end of “zombie government” after Varadkar resignation

Members of the opposition have called for a general election following the resignation of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

With Varadkar announcing he will be stepping down, the next Taoiseach will be decided by members of Fine Gael.

Members of the opposition have stated that Fine Gael does not have the democratic mandate to do so.

Critics such as Paul Murphy of People Before Profit said “the people need to be given the opportunity to decide on who will lead the country, not the Fine Gael party.”

Owing to the nature of parliamentary politics, the members of the governing party (in this context, Fine Gael) will decide on the next leader and Taoiseach in a membership election.

Ireland going through 3 Taoiseachs off the back of one election draws comparisons to the United Kingdom which has also seen 3 Prime Ministers take charge since the last general election in 2019.

In both instances, members of the Conservative party decided the next Prime Minister as they were the governing party, but critics have argued that Fine Gael does not have the same mandate as the Tories.

While the Tories had an 80-seat majority following the 2019 general election, Fine Gael were pointedly the big losers of the 2020 general election, losing 12 seats on that occasion and ending up on 35 seats compared to Fianna Fáil’s 38 and Sinn Féin’s 37.

Green Party leader Éamon Ryan said “it’s worth noting that the agreement at the start of this Government was between the three coalition parties, not the three leaders. That agreement stands, particularly in light of the important work that this Government has to do.”

“The Green Party looks forward to the conclusion of the Fine Gael leadership contest and the election of a new Taoiseach by Dáil Éireann. In the interim, the important work of Government continues and the three coalition parties will continue to fulfil our mandate, just as we have done over the last three and a half years.”

 Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said “our Republic is worth more than Fine Gael’s election strategy. There’s no mandate for a zombie government; bring this whole charade down and allow the people to decide who leads, and what formation our next government takes.”

Labour TD Ged Nash said “we’re now likely to have three Taoisigh in the space of four years. Fine Gael members alone shouldn’t get to choose who leads our country for the rest of this Dáil. The democratic imperative demands the people should decide. Fine Gael & Fianna Fail should put country before party.”

A general election must be held by March 2025 regardless of the direction the Government takes over the next 12 months.

The next leader of Fine Gael will be chosen before the party Ard Fhéis in April, with the Dáil voting to ratify the nominee after the Easter break.