FF and FG examine postal vote option as govt talks to resume on Wednesday

Government formation talks will resume later this week with the picture clouded further due to the coronavirus.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will meet on Wednesday to try to piece together a government.

The leadership in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil has now accepted to form a government it will need to be a coalition between the two.

There is still significant opposition to that in both parties but that is softening as the scale of the coronavirus challenge becomes clear.

Both parties will need members to vote to approve going into government.

Since that cannot happen at a large gathering like a party conference, postal voting is being examined.

Despite a great election Sinn Féin is effectively on the sidelines now without the numbers to form a government.

The Green Party has complicated matters by refusing to enter coalition talks.

They have called for a government of national unity to deal with the coronavirus - something most other parties have rejected.

So Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are turning towards Independents to try and make up the eight votes they still need for a majority.

The regional independents group of nine will talk to them but only if controversial TDs Michael Lowry, Noel Grealish and Verona Murphy are included.

So there is movement but not enough as talks between Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin's parties resume on Wednesday and a third of the Dáil meets on Thursday to approve sick pay legislation.

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