FF ministers rule out Sinn Féin deal

Fianna Fáil has said the upcoming election will be a close vote but ruled out any possibility of forming a minority government…

Fianna Fáil has said the upcoming election will be a close vote but ruled out any possibility of forming a minority government with Sinn Féin.

We do know it's a very close election. We take nothing for granted
Mary Hanafin

The party also discussed its health proposals, insisting that co-location plans were "the best way" to provide more hospital beds in the health service.

At the final Fianna Fáil press conference before Thursday's vote, three senior Government ministers said they spoke on behalf of the Taoiseach regarding the coalition issue and were adamant no deal would be made to form a government with Sinn Féin.

Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said she was unequivocal in her opinion that it would be "unacceptable" to the Irish people for Fianna Fál to form such a coalition and insisted: "Fianna Fail will not go into government with Sinn Féin. If people are voting for me, they are not voting for Sinn Féin."

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Ms Hanafin admitted: "We do know it's a very close election. We take nothing for granted."

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said he believed the party would reform a coalition government with the Progressive Democrats if given a sufficient mandate by the electorate.

Minister for Social Affairs Seamus Brennan said Fianna Fáil would not make any "arrangement or understanding" with Sinn Féin, insisting there were "other options".

Mr Ahern said: "I think it's fair to say, we've been the underdog in this election" and said Fianna Fáil would "fight for every vote" on Thursday.

Dismissing Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny's well-publicised contract as "a cynical gesture", Mr Ahern said the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had "dismantled" Mr Kenny's "fraudulant contract" on RTÉ television last week during the leader's debate.

He said Fianna Fáil had published "deliverable proposals" and that the election now came down to a vote for "substance versus sound bites".

Mr Ahern said Fianna Fáil had shown via a "detailed financial framework" how it would create 250,000 new jobs in the economy over the next five years.

The party had also produced tax proposals that would benefit 97 per cent of earners and was "committed, good times and bad times," to looking after pensioners, the Minister said, adding it was something it said Fine Gael and Labour had ommitted from their contract.

The Minister said Fianna Fáil's approach was to "keep the economy strong and invest in the future" and called on the electorate to make a clear choice between an "unproven" Opposition coalition and a party with an experienced leader that had produced "10 years of historic change for our country".