Micheál Martin says general election should be in February
Leader And (pa) Tánaiste Micheál Martin Fáil Fianna
A general election should be held in February, the Tánaiste has said.
Speaking at the Fianna Fáil think-in in Dublin, Micheál Martin said that talk of a general election in November is "hot air".
Mr Martin said that there was little sense in holding by-elections outstanding due to the election of TDs as MEPs in the June European elections and the resignation of Clare TD Joe Carey, saying that February would be "ideal".
Writs for the by-elections would have to be moved by mid-January at the latest, but Mr Martin said there was little sense in this, given that a general election would have to come.
“I don’t think any by-election will be held before the next general election, because, simply put, if you were to hold a by-election in December or in January with an immediate general election in the aftermath…
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“My understanding is that the legal advice would sustain that proposition that I’m putting to you.
“So I don’t see any by-elections before the next general election and I’ve been consistent in terms of saying February would be an ideal date to hold it, but I think the immediate focus is on the Budget.”
Mr Martin said he has "been very clear" that the Government should go full term.
"I think there's a lot of hot air going on about the timing. I think all of those people who were briefing all of you [journalists] that it would be the 15th of November are now the same people briefing you that it will be Valentine's Day."
Mr Martin said the Government is "at the 11th hour" and that Budget 2025 was the "major substantive piece" left to do.
"We have to be careful as a government, that we govern as opposed to just electioneering," the Tánaiste added.
The Fianna Fáil leader said when the party entered into the coalition government, it took on “challenging” portfolios including housing, health and agriculture, and had “made a difference” in power.
He said the party was in a “healthy position” and said that it was preparing for a general election.
Mr Martin cautioned against “half-baked” proposals on childcare and called for a “comprehensive blueprint” on how a mooted Department of Infrastructure would work.
He added: “What we need in terms of infrastructure is to cut through a lot of barriers that successive governments have created in respect of getting public capital programmes through. I think the situation regarding Children’s Hospital created an over caution within the public service, within the system generally, in terms of capital projects.”
He said he believed Transport Infrastructure Ireland needed to be given “clear direction” that there would be budget allocations to build roads and no delays.
He added: “In a three-party government, compromises have to be made. I think the NDP (National Development Plan) could have been delivered faster on roads, but for policy reasons, perhaps wasn’t delivered as fast as it could have been.”
He was asked about comments by the Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman, who told the Sunday Times that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had put their political survival ahead of good policy-making.
Mr Martin said: “We’re edging towards election time, it’s obvious that Roderic and the Green Party are obviously trying to create a niche for themselves and maybe create an identity going into that election.
“I understand that fully, but for our part, I would say we took the hard departments.
“There was very little movement in housing prior to we taking it over.”
He said further work on housing was needed and that his priority was to get the Budget delivered, the finance bill passed as well as other draft laws within what he called a “tight” timeline.