(Alliance News) - Talks to form Ireland's new government have concluded, party representatives said Wednesday, with a three-way coalition set to be unveiled next week.
Two incumbent centre-right parties backed by a group of independent lawmakers will comprise the new cabinet.
After the November 29 general election, the centre-right Fianna Fail, on 48 seats, was well ahead of the main opposition, the left-wing nationalist Sinn Fein on 39, with centre-right Fine Gael in third on 38.
But Fianna Fail and Fine Gael - who formed the outgoing government, propped up by the Greens - together fell two seats short of a governing majority in the 174-seat parliament, triggering inter-party coalition talks.
The 7-strong Regional Independent Group of non-party-aligned lawmakers and two other independent members of parliament have agreed to support the incoming government, local media said late Tuesday.
The government will have a "comfortable majority" in the Dail," Fianna Fail's Jack Lawless told state broadcaster RTE on Wednesday.
That means it will not have to "constantly look over its shoulder and firefight," he said.
The new government and taoiseach [prime minister] - Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin - are now expected to be formally elected by the Dail [Irish parliament] on January 22.
The cabinet will see Fianna Fail holding eight senior ministerial posts to Fine Gael's seven.
A "rotating taoiseach" model applied during the last administration that saw the leaders of the two main parties swap as prime minister and deputy prime minister halfway through the five-year term is also expected to continue.
A draft "programme for government" policy manifesto that was hammered out by party negotiators during the talks will be published later Wednesday and put to the coalition party lawmakers for approval at party meetings in the coming days.
The Regional Independent Group would bring a "regional balance" to government, one of the group Marian Harkin told RTE.
Two of the group's members will sit at cabinet as "super junior" ministers but without full status of cabinet ministers and without command of a full government department.
source: AFP
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