Election 2024: Taoiseach urges public to back 'centrist parties'
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The Taoiseach has said he will be voting for the Labour Party and Fianna Fáil and has pleaded with the public to back "centrist parties" so the country can form a "stable government".
Party officials are scrutinising transfers as the final opinion poll before election day puts the three main parties neck and neck with Fine Gael and Sinn Féin both on 20% and Fianna Fáil one point ahead on 21% support.
In an interview with the , Simon Harris cited the legalisation on cannabis, which Fianna Fáil is pushing, as a red-line issue he will not accept, and signalled Fine Gael will deposit multiple lump sums into an acorn children's savings scheme, going further than a single bonus at birth as outlined in the party's manifesto.
He also said his predecessor Leo Varadkar was wrong to suggest that going into opposition would be beneficial for the party, but admitted that he is "not proud" of his record on providing disability services.
Speaking as the election campaign enters its final hours, Mr Harris said: "I'm asking people to vote Fine Gael in the election... But then I am asking people to transfer to other centrist parties."
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"Certainly in terms of my own ballot paper, I'd be very much inclined to obviously vote for myself, my running mate, but then I'll also be voting for other politicians in parties that we've either worked in government with or might work in government with in the future.
"Fine Gael has worked well with Labour, Fine Gael has worked well with Fianna Fáil."
He qualified his remarks about the Greens, stating that both parties worked well together "on some issues" before adding: "I noticed they've taken a different approach, as is their right in this election, in terms of saying they want to speak to other smaller parties first."
Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been privately signalling a preference to go into power with Ivana Bacik's party, if the numbers are there to form a three-way coalition after Friday's vote.
Mr Harris and Micheál Martin have stressed the need for a stable government in recent days, raising concerns around possible transatlantic trade shocks.
The Fianna Fáil leader has also strenuously ruled out speaking to Sinn Féin after the election, however, the latest poll indicates that it will take two of the major parties along with at least one other smaller grouping to form a government.
Mr Harris, who was speaking just ahead of the publication of an opinion poll published last night, warned that "if you start getting into four or five-party coalitions that just becomes a hell of a lot more challenging. That's just me being honest. It's up to the people of Ireland to decide."
The Business Post/Red C poll also shows a strong transfer rate between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael when voters are asked about their second preference intentions.
Among the smaller parties, Labour has jumped one point to 4%, while the Social Democrats and the Greens remain unchanged on 6% and 4% respectively.
Independent Ireland and Aontú are both on 4% and People Before Profit-Solidarity is on 2% support.
Support for Independents has dropped by one point with non-party candidates are now on 14%.
Meanwhile, Mr Harris suggested that his party would give more than the single lump sum of between €1,000 and €1,500 promised at birth as part of an Acorn savings scheme for families which Fine Gael is proposing.
"There's nothing to stop the government being able to top that up. If I was Taoiseach in times of a surplus, I'd love to say, 'Well, let's put a little bit more into each of the kids accounts for the future too'."
On legalisation of cannabis, he said: "I certainly wouldn't be able to commit to a programme for government [that includes] decriminalisation, because I'm not there in my own mind."