Ireland has delayed choosing its new prime minister after a row over speaking rights sparked angry scenes in the parliament.
The Irish Parliament, called the Dail, had this morning convened to nominate a new prime minister, with Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin poised to take on the position.
However, the process was pushed back hours – and eventually adjourned until tomorrow – after a dispute over roles in the new government led to widespread disorder and clashes.
Mr Martin had been due to take on the role of PM, called the taoiseach, after his party made an agreement with another, Fine Gael, and a selection of independents.
However, a dispute over whether some of the independents would be given opposition speaking time led to today’s proceedings ending without the new Irish PM being officially chosen.
Five of the nine independents are due to given junior minister posts, while the remaining four are seeking to join a technical group – a mechanism designed to give opposition TDs (the Irish equivalent of MPs) speaking time.
This move has been widely rejected by opposition parties including Sinn Fein, Labour and the Social Democrats – who argue the independents supporting the incoming government should not be allowed to join technical groups.
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