In Dublin, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar expressed optimism on Wednesday that the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland would be reinstated in the coming year. He also suggested that reforms in its operation could be on the table for discussion following the restoration.
For nearly two years, Northern Ireland has been without a government after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) withdrew in protest over Britain’s efforts to settle post-Brexit trade rules for the region, which has a land border with EU member Ireland.
Britain’s Northern Ireland Minister Chris Heaton-Harris stated on Tuesday that negotiations to restore the government had not resulted in an agreement so far and that a deal would not be reached before Christmas.
“We think we’ll be able to get this over the line in the new year, have a new executive and assembly up and running and help it to be a success,” Varadkar proclaimed during a news conference on Wednesday.
Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday peace accord that ended three decades of sectarian violence in the province, Irish nationalists and pro-British unionist politicians are mandated to share power. However, the ability of the largest party on either side to disrupt power-sharing for extended periods has been recognized as a barrier to progress.
Earlier this year, both Irish and British prime ministers expressed their openness to considering reforms to Northern Ireland’s political structure once the power-sharing government supporting it was reinstated.
On Wednesday, Varadkar suggested the possibility of such discussions occurring prior to the next elections, which are due by 2027.
“The last election was held under certain rules and everyone going to vote on that day knew the rules with regard to electing the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister, and the executive,” Varadkar remarked. “If there’s going to be any change to the rules, well then they should be negotiated by the two governments and the main parties and put into place in advance to the next assembly elections.”
(Reporting by Graham Fahy, editing by Padraic Halpin and Toby Chopra)
