Micheál Martin became Ireland’s taoiseach (prime minister) for the second time in his political career on Thursday, a day later than planned.
The Irish parliament descended into uproar on Wednesday, its first day back in session after weeks of political horse-trading and coalition-building, following the country’s general election in November.
Wednesday’s order of business was scheduled to start with the vote to elect a new taoiseach but this formality was delayed repeatedly. It was then ultimately abandoned for the day, as opposition parties took to their feet in loud protest over the granting of extended speaking rights to independent parliamentarians who support the incoming government.
Attempts to resolve the dispute continued into Thursday morning when the government acknowledged that there was “ambiguity” in speaking rights and an agreement was reached that government-supporting independents cannot for now retain extended speaking rights from the opposition benches.
The 64-year-old Martin, leader of the Fianna Fáil party, was finally elected taoiseach before 2 p.m. in Dublin, saying it was “a profound honor to be nominated to serve as head of the government in a free, democratic and diverse republic.”
Martin stressed the importance of Ireland’s relationships with Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom, noting that his nation’s “kinship” with the US went back to before the formation of the Irish state and endures “because we have continued to renew bonds of respect and cooperation.”
“The Ireland-America relationship is one that benefits us both and will emerge strongly no matter what,” Martin told the packed chamber of parliament.
Although Ireland’s November election bucked the 2024 trend that saw so many countries reject incumbent governments, no political party had a resounding win.
The country’s center-right Fianna Fáil party won the most seats on November 29 but did not secure enough for a parliamentary majority. It returned to its most recent coalition partnership with the country’s other centrist party, Fine Gael, and spent recent weeks in pursuit of further political backing.
Last week it was announced that the two parties had secured the support of a group of regional independent lawmakers and was ready to form a government.
Martin becomes Irish taoiseach for the second time.
He first assumed the office when Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil entered their coalition government in 2020, joining forces against a surge in support for Sinn Féin, Ireland’s nationalist party.
That groundbreaking partnership between Ireland’s long-time vying parties saw party leaders Leo Varadkar and Martin swap the roles of prime minister and deputy every two years until Varadkar unexpectedly stepped down last year. He was replaced by Simon Harris, who became Ireland’s youngest ever leader.
Harris, the outgoing taoiseach, assumed the role of deputy prime minister Thursday, and will expect to step back into the role of Ireland’s leader again in 2027.