Election of taoiseach delayed as Dáil suspended amid disorder

The election of a new taoiseach has been delayed again after a bitter row in the Dáil (Irish parliament) forced proceedings to be suspended.

The Irish parliament returned to nominate Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin as the new taoiseach (prime minister) before he is formally appointed to the office by President Michael D Higgins.

Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy called for a 15 minute suspension after Teachtaí Dála (TDs) refused to “stop shouting” at her and take their seats.

Sinn Féin and other opposition TDs voiced their anger at plans to allow independent TDs who are supporting the government to join them on the opposition benches.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said it was a “brazen” move by the government to allow the plans to happen.

After the Dáil resumed several TDs continued to challenge Murphy over a decision to allow independent TDs who are supporting the government to sit on the opposition benches.

They refused to take their seats and the proceedings were then suspended for 30 minutes.

The Dáil was adjourned again at about 13:15 local time.

The 35th Dáil will see Martin elected as taoiseach for the second time, replacing Fine Gael leader Simon Harris who will return as tánaiste (deputy prime minister).

Fianna Fáil – the largest party – has formed a government with Fine Gael and a range of independent regional TDs after November’s election.

Sinn Féin remain the largest opposition party after winning 39 seats. Fianna Fáil gained 48 seats while Fine Gael was third with 38 seats.

Martin and Harris confirmed the new draft programme for government earlier this month.

The deal paved the way for the next government and was successfully endorsed by both parties in recent days.

Speaking after his party endorsed the programme for government, Martin said there was a “strong commitment” on behalf of his party to deliver for the Irish people.

“I can assure you, we will spare no effort in working selflessly on behalf of the people of Ireland to deliver this programme for government, to make things better for people and to improve the quality of life as we navigate very turbulent global waters,” he said.

Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael ruled out Sinn Féin as a coalition partner, which party leader Mary Lou McDonald called “bad practice”.

This is the first time the new government will sit after November’s election, with government negotiations taking around five weeks to complete.

The new Dáil has already been the source of controversy after a number of independent TDs including Michael Lowry, Danny Healy-Rae, Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole, who support the government, want to form a “technical group” which would allow them speaking time and other rights from the opposition benches.

Another member of the group, Michael Healy-Rae, said they were “perfectly entitled to stand up as part of a technical group and ask questions and to be part of debates”.

He told BBC NI’s Good Morning Ulster programme: “When you support a government it doesn’t mean that you are silenced and you can’t be engaging, that you can’t ask questions, that you can’t ask questions of national and local importance.

“We haven’t changed our minds, but what we are doing is we are rowing in to say we need a stable, secure, sound, solid government for the next five years and we are going to support that because we feel that we will better able to serve our constituents and the country by being within government than outside.”

The new Ceann Comhairle (speaker) – also a regional independent – Verona Murphy, who is the first woman to hold the role, told TDs she would consider submissions opposing the plan, but permitted the group to “provisionally” take their original seats for now.

All other opposition groups are against the idea, labelling it as having a foot in both camps and taking time away from those who wish to scrutinise the government.

Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh said: “I think it absolutely undermines the integrity of the Dáil.

“The standing orders are very clear in that and we’ve got legal advice and the Labour Party have legal advice as well to say that.

“A technical group is a body of members of the opposition it’s very, very clear.”

Analysis: Chris Page, BBC News Ireland Correspondent

It had been expected that the dispute over speaking rights would lead to something of a row in the chamber.

But the rowdiness has reached a level which wasn’t widely anticipated.

The 35th Dáil (lower house of the Irish Parliament) has begun with two suspensions in quick succession – and the process to elect a Taoiseach is running at least an hour late.

For opposition parties, the issue is about more than how speaking time is shared out – it is also about how funding and resources are carved up.

They have also had an opportunity to grab the spotlight from the incoming government, on a day which is usually focused on the new taoiseach and ministers – and their plan to run Ireland in the coming years.

We can expect the coalition parties to accuse their opponents of creating an undignified spectacle on an important day for the country.

As part of Wednesday’s Dáil return, Martin is due to travel to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet Irish President Michael D Higgins in the state reception room.

The president will then sign the warrant of appointment and hand the seal of the taoiseach and the seal of government to Martin.

Later, the appointment of members of the government will begin.

The president will sign the warrant of appointment for the members of the government and the warrant of appointment of the attorney general, each of which will be countersigned by the taoiseach.

The president will then present each minister in turn with their seal of office.