Ahern to accept support from SF

FIANNA Fáil will accept Sinn Féin support to get Bertie Ahern re-elected Taoiseach.

But both Mr Ahern and his senior ministers have insisted they will not form a government dependent on Sinn Féin support.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, however, has said he does not believe FF.

When the 30th Dáil convenes on June 14, TDs will nominate a Taoiseach who, in turn, will nominate the other members of the Government.

Barring unforeseen events, FF will nominate Mr Ahern for re-election, but given the party is unlikely to win a majority at the election, will require support from other parties to succeed.

On Monday night, Finance Minister Brian Cowen indicated FF would accept the support of Sinn Féin to win the nomination process. Yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern suggested likewise, saying: “We can’t prevent them (Sinn Féin) from going in and supporting the Taoiseach.”

The Taoiseach himself echoed those remarks, saying: “As I said a long time back, a few years ago, you can’t stop anyone going into the Dáil to vote.”

But Mr Ahern and his ministers insisted FF would offer Sinn Féin nothing in return, and would not form a government dependent on Sinn Féin support.

But Mr Kenny remarked: “It’s perfectly obvious that Fianna Fáil is so desperate to cling onto power that they are prepared... [to] be controlled from outside by the Sinn Féin party.”