Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has lashed out at the "hypocrisy" of political parties refusing to go into coalition with his party while urging similar moves in the North.
In a question and answer session on ireland.comtoday, Mr Adams said there was an "irony" in Fianna Fáil celebrating the joint government in the North and "denying any role to Sinn Féin in Government in the South".
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael along with most other political parties have ruled out going into coalition with Sinn Féin, who have been polling around 10 per cent.
"There is a lot of hypocrisy involved with the other parties," Mr Adams said. "Most of them have played no part in the peace process."
He said voters would decide who they wanted in power and it was then up to the individual parties whether to go into government with Sinn Fein. "The fact is, five Sinn Féin ministers from the North will be working with whoever is the next taoiseach and other government ministers in the All-Ireland Council of Ministers."
If Sinn Féin got a mandate for power it would produce "a common sense republican programme", he said. This was focused on eliminating poverty, building public services and a "programme for Irish unity".
He also accused other parties of making "blatantly dishonest promises" on taxes and on health. "The economy needs to serve the people. That means an equitable tax system to provide social safeguards and public services."
Sinn Féin would not spend "one cent" of taxpayer money on privatising public services. "This is particularly urgent in relation to the health services."
One Q&A respondent questioned Mr Adams on why Sinn Féin should be trusted on policing and justice issues when "its associates have spent the last 30 years trying to subvert the forces of the State?"
Mr Adams responded that Sinn Féin in the North had been on the "wrong side of very bad policing along with many other citizens", so understood what was required to bring about "policing as a public and a civic service".
Another questioned whether Sinn Fein still supported the creation of a 32-county democratic socialist republic? He said the party did and if given such power would establish such a republic before allowing the people to decide the "social ethos" governing it. "The essence of a republic is equality. This requires a rights-based society."