Leaders of FF and FG in ‘policy agreement’

Broadcaster RTE say the party leaders came to an agreement following talks on Tuesday on a policy document which can now be circulated to each parliamentary parties for approval.

Following the Irish General Election earlier this year, no single party emerged with enough seats to form a government.

Fianna Fail won 38 seats while Sinn Fein and Fine Gael won 37 and 35 respectively.

Before the election, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had ruled out forging a coalition with left-wing republican party Sinn Féin, citing its tax policies and IRA past as deterrents.

Combined, the two parties require another eight seats to form a majority.

The deal reached by negotiators for Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and the Taoiseach, Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar, is expected to be put to the parliamentary parties for approval on Wednesday.

RTE also reported yesterday that the policy document is to be sent to the Social Democrats, the Labour Party and the Green Party who hold a combined 24 seats in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, the Dail.

The document itself places the “central task of protecting our people during the present Covid-19 crisis” as the top priority, RTE report.