Greetings,
This morning, headlines across all national papers focus on the surprise decision by Leo Varadkar to resign as the leader of Fine Gael. His announcement yesterday outside the Government Buildings has triggered not just a leadership contest, but also competition for the sought-after position of Taoiseach.
According to our primary news this morning, penned by Pat Leahy, the other two coalition leaders, Micheál Martin and Eamon Ryan, require that the future Fine Gael leader pledges to keep the Government in power until spring next year.
Furthermore, we examine the potential leadership candidates who will decide to vie for the position or withdraw today. As of now, Simon Coveney, the Minister for Enterprise, is the only one who has decided not to participate, although it’s still early in the day.
At this point, conjecture over Varadkar’s successor revolves around Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education; Heather Humphreys, Minister for Social Protection; Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice; and Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Expenditure. Harris, who has openly shared his ambitions for the future, is considered by many to be the starting favourite.
But how will the process proceed? The Fine Gael executive council convened last night to settle on the candidate nomination protocol. The window for party leader nominations begins this morning at 10 am and concludes on the following Monday at 1 pm.
Nominees must receive the backing of at least 10 per cent or six parliamentary party members, which includes TDs, Senators, and MEPs. If contested, the nominees would need to sign a binding behavioural code that will remain in effect throughout the election timeline.
Next week, there will be regional meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Voting will commence from Tuesday, April 2nd and finish on Thursday, April 4th across approximately 20 polling stations. Up to 20,000 members may be qualified to vote. Subsequently, the outcome will be formally released at the count centre. The race has officially begun.
What this means for the broader political landscape is also a topic of interest.
The surprise decision explored across The Irish Times’ print and online editions today bear significant political impact, and we delve into the factors that have led to this moment. Pat Leahy’s analytical piece suggests that the odds of an election happening this year may be reduced due to a change in leadership; suggesting the new taoiseach might prefer some time in the position before attempting to secure re-election.
We are also analysing Leo Varadkar’s choice to make this move at this time, highlighting that the upcoming local and European elections undoubtedly influenced the timing of his declaration. Cormac McQuinn maps out the peaks and troughs of Varadkar’s political life, tracing a journey from Brexit to Covid, and marking a few noteworthy blunders.
A more in-depth look into the leadership candidates is provided by Marie O’Halloran, while Varadkar’s own profile is sketched out by Harry McGee. McGee indicates that Varadkar’s resignation speech at Government Buildings on Wednesday was one of the rare instances where he displayed public emotion. Kitty Holland, gauging the reaction from Dublin West’s constituents, discovered a mix of shock, sadness, and occasional apathy. Sarah Burns collects responses from Fine Gael TDs.
We’ve also added a podcast discussing the impacts of a tumultuous political day. As Miriam Lord importantly notes, the current Taoiseach isn’t so much retiring as he is surrendering. When he travels to Brussels today for the European Council summit, journalists will likely press the Taoiseach further about his decision and reasons. We’ll have Pat Leahy there to report the proceedings for The Irish Times.
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The Playbook.
The Dáil operates from 9 in the morning till half past 4 in the afternoon, after which it breaks for a fortnight. The Deputy Leader, Micheál Martin, addresses inquiries concerning his portfolio at the beginning of the day, and subsequently, the Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan, fields questions. At midday the Leaders’ Questions take place. The Social Democrats will put forth a motion concerning international protection applications around quarter to two.
Meanwhile, the Seanad operates for a shorter duration from half past 9 to 2 in the afternoon. Significant upcoming discussions include debates on the forthcoming referendum about the suggested unified patent courts, as well as deliberations over the Research and Innovation Bill.
Within the committee rooms, activities begin at 9am with Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien discussing the proposed changes in planning codes. At half past 9, the Public Accounts Committee will engage in dialogue with An Garda Síochána about personnel and recruitment. Finally, at half past 10, the Joint Committee on Central Issues impacting the Traveller Community will receive counsel from the Free Legal Advice Centre and housing lawyers.