The speaker of Ireland’s lower house of parliament successfully defeated a no-confidence motion put forth by the main opposition parties on Tuesday, as anticipated, thanks to the continued backing of the coalition government.
Verona Murphy, an independent member of parliament who was appointed to her position following the November general election with the support of the ruling Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, and their independent allies, dismissed calls for her resignation last week amid a controversy regarding speaking rights that has affected parliamentary operations.
Opposition parties have expressed their discontent with a new regulation that allows government-supporting independents to retain extended speaking rights that were previously granted to them while in opposition, leading to interruptions during sessions and delays in the formation of all committees.
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The opposition accused Murphy of circumventing parliamentary procedures last week by expediting a vote on the government’s speaking proposals, a claim she firmly denied.
In a historic vote, lawmakers expressed their confidence in Murphy—marking the first instance of a speaker facing such a motion—by a tally of 96 to 71.
