Parties aiming for deal by weekend

NEGOTIATIONS:FINE GAEL and Labour have separately set provisional weekend deadlines for the completion of negotiations to form a possible coalition.

The parties have different processes for ratifying the outcome of the talks.

The Fine Gael parliamentary party, on the recommendation of leader Enda Kenny, has the power to ratify or reject any proposed programme for government.

For Labour, the programme must be endorsed by a full delegate conference representing parliamentarians, its national executive, ordinary members and the trade unions, which have 10 per cent of the vote.

The actual composition of government – and the allocation of senior ministries – is not dependent on the approval of party delegates.

One Labour source said Mr Gilmore could ask for the mandate of the conference, subject to him getting an acceptable agreement on ministerial portfolios. That would give him the right to accept or reject the Fine Gael offer.

Labour has provisionally booked the O’Reilly Hall in UCD to hold the conference on Sunday but, if agreement is not reached, may need to rearrange the meeting for Monday or Tuesday evening, before the first session of the 31st Dáil on Wednesday.

Sources from both parties said yesterday they hoped the talks could conclude by Friday. This would allow both parties time to deal with the logistics of putting the draft programme for government to their relevant bodies.

An early agreement could also accommodate the plans of the party leaders to attend the meetings of their respective EU parliamentary groups on Friday and Saturday. Mr Kenny will be in Helsinki on Friday, the day Mr Gilmore will be travelling to Athens.