Ireland: Sinn Fein attempts to form government after convincing election victory

(Patria) – Until recently in the political shadows, the Irish party Sinn Fein has begun efforts to form a government after early results from the snap elections held last weekend showed it won a majority of the votes.

At the same time, the centre party of Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Fine Gael, as well as the Fianna Fail party together received about 22% of voter support. Sinn Fein is in a somewhat weaker position as it won only 42 seats in the 159-seat parliament, with at least 80 needed to form a majority government. A coalition will be inevitable, but for now it seems unattainable as all key parties refuse to enter an alliance.

The election result marks a historic change in Irish politics, as in recent decades the Fine Gael and Fianna Fail parties have alternated in power. Representatives of these two parties currently refuse even the thought of entering a coalition with Sinn Fein due to its historical ties to the Irish Republican Army.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the party will 'do everything' to form a government.

The party of Prime Minister Leo Varadkar (41) lost the election despite the significant economic progress Ireland achieved during his term – Ireland's GDP has significantly exceeded the GDP of all other EU members since 2014, and unemployment is below 5%.

- We modernised society, marriage equality, women's rights, real progress in education, social welfare and childcare. But, it is not enough. I know it is not enough, Varadkar said in a speech in which he announced early elections.

Although Irish voters recognised the Prime Minister's diplomatic moves in the context of Brexit that prevented the return of a trade border to the island, concerns about existential issues such as pensions, housing and healthcare prevailed and led to the Prime Minister's party, i.e. his government, losing support.

A particular problem is housing, i.e. rent, whose prices are constantly rising, especially in the capital, and the public does not see the government doing anything to solve the problem.

At the same time, the election favourite and former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Sinn Fein, which was long in the political shadows, won support with a proposal for the government to approve grants for the purchase of housing units, as well as to return the retirement age to 65.

Sinn Fein's new popularity is also due to its leader Mary Lou McDonald, who enjoys 41% support thanks to her charismatic personality.

A significant portion of support for Sinn Fein also comes from younger generations who do not remember the violence associated with the party in the past.

Sinn Fein already forms part of the joint government in Northern Ireland (which, like Scotland, voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum). As the party's ultimate goal is unification with the Republic of Ireland, they have refused to be part of a coalition government without a firm commitment to a referendum on unification by 2025, reports Euronews.