Micheál Martin confident of breaching talks’ impasse

Micheál Martin has said he is confident of a major breakthrough on government formation as his party goes into serious talks with Fine Gael today.

However, the talks, which are seen as the first meaningful discussions between the two parties, may face collapse if Fine Gael is not willing to agree in principal to supporting a Fianna Fáil-led minority.

Independent TDs say that the parties must sign an agreement on supporting a minority government for a certain length of time before they commit to entering any government. Members of the Independent Alliance and rural Independents have also signalled that they will not be voting in the third ballot to select a taoiseach on Thursday.