Sinn Féin’s leadership has called for a general election and said the Government should “let the people have their say”.
It comes a day after the shock announcement that Leo Varadkar was standing down as Fine Gael leader and would step aside as Taoiseach once his successor is appointed.
Sinn Féin's finance spokesperson, Pearse Doherty, said voters should be allowed to decide if they want a change of taoiseach or a change of government.
Speaking on Newstalk radio, Mr Doherty said he was convinced that people wanted a change of government.
“I am confident that if the people have their say, they will not choose Fine Gael to go into conclave and decide who is going to be the next Taoiseach of the country,” he said. “I think that they will have a very different opinion.”
Mr Doherty said it did not “bother” him who was the leader of Fine Gael. “It doesn't bother me a bit. What does bother me is the highest office in the land. That there's an idea now, over the next number of days, that a group of Fine Gael senators and TDs that are, in my view, completely out of touch, are collectively responsible for what we're seeing in our State every single day.”
Mr Doherty said he had no interest in how a new leader of Fine Gael was selected, but he did have an interest in how the Taoiseach was selected.
“This will come to a vote before the Dáil. And I do have a vote, and the Opposition does have a vote in what we are saying, particularly to people and the Independents who have given support to the Taoiseach. But this is not what we should have. We shouldn't have a third rotating Taoiseach, and this term we shouldn't have a carve up that is basically decided by Fine Gael.”
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the office of taoiseach should not be “reduced to an internal conversation” within Fine Gael.
Ms McDonald said the Dáil "simply rubber-stamping" the appointment of a new taoiseach was the "wrong approach".
“I think it will cause a huge amount of frustration out on the ground,” she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
“The idea of Fine Gael now in conclave and amongst themselves, making a decision, the effect of which will be who the next taoiseach is really not acceptable.
“We're four years into this administration, we’re on Taoiseach number three. The Taoiseach himself has stood aside saying he's no longer fit for the job, that he's not the person to lead. I think his reflection on himself is very much a collective reality in terms of the Government, which has run out of road.
“The appetite for change that was evident in 2020 is still there. It's alive. And I think at this juncture, the appropriate democratically correct thing to do is to go back to the people, put the people in the driving seat and ask them what they believe should be, and consequently, who should lead government.”
The Sinn Féin call for an election came as Fine Gael politicians began to publicly back Simon Harris as their next leader and potential taoiseach.
Nominations will open for the Fine Gael leadership from Thursday morning and will close on Monday at 1pm.
Six members of the parliamentary party – comprising TDs, senators and MEPs – are needed to nominate a candidate, and the parliamentary party’s vote counts for 65 per cent of the share when the party elects its new leader.
If there is a contest between two candidates, which many members of Fine Gael have said they expect and want to happen, hustings will take place before votes are cast.
The final result will be officially announced on Friday, April 5th.
