LONDON — Micheál Martin has formally become Irish prime minister during a ceremony with President Michael D. Higgins in Dublin.

Earlier, Martin said he was “thankful” to his supporters after he received the backing of the Irish parliament to be nominated as the country’s next premier, or taoiseach as the post in known in Irish.

Parliamentarians voted 95 to 76 in support of the nomination of the Fianna Fáil leader, the day after a chaotic row disrupted the process and resulted in the suspension of the Dáil.

Speaking after he was nominated for the role, Martin said: “It is a profound honour to be nominated to serve as head of the government in a free, democratic and diverse republic.

“Today, I am deeply conscious of the democratic tradition which our country has developed over more than a century.

“We should never take for granted the freedoms and opportunities secured for us by the generations who sat here before us, and by the men and women who fought and campaigned for the establishment of Dáil Éireann [the Irish lower house].

“Our democracy has remained strong through some of the gravest challenges of a turbulent century.

“We have continued to have free debate and free elections. We have never wavered in our commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes.

“The most powerful thing about the mandate which each of us holds is that it is based on the support of our families, our supporters, in most cases our parties, and above all our communities.

“I could not be more thankful to all of those who have been at my side and have helped me to achieve the honour of being nominated to serve as taoiseach.”

Mr Martin then left the Dáil to meet Higgins at his official residence at Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin.

There, he formally became the Irish premier after Higgins signed the warrant of appointment and handed Martin the Seal of the Taoiseach and the Seal of the Government.

The nomination was originally supposed to have taken place on Wednesday, but a dispute over speaking rights for independents affiliated with the incoming coalition led to the Dáil being adjourned.

Martin’s Fianna Fáil emerged as the largest party after the Irish general election at the end of November.

It agreed to re-enter a coalition with Fine Gael, led by outgoing taoiseach Simon Harris.

The two parties combined were just short of a majority in the Dáil and will be supported by several independent lawmakers for the five-year government term after lengthy negotiations.

Efforts to nominate Martin on Wednesday had to be abandoned over a disagreement on whether government-affiliated lawmakers could be allocated opposition speaking time.

The Dáil reconvened at 11:40 am (1140 GMT) on Thursday to proceed with the nomination of a taoiseach after extensive negotiations resulted in agreement that parliamentary rules needed to be reviewed.

Sinn Féin put party leader Mary Lou McDonald forward for the role, but she conceded in her speech that the bid would not be successful.

Martin, 64, served as taoiseach in the last coalition government with Fine Gael and the Green Party.

That coalition introduced a “rotating taoiseach” mechanism which saw the top office swapped between the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael midway through the term.

The arrangement will be repeated, although on a three-to-two-year basis in favour of Fianna Fáil in recognition of the party’s 10-seat lead over Fine Gael.

It continues a partnership which began in 2020 and set aside almost a century of animosity between the two parties forged from opposing sides of Ireland’s Civil War of the 1920s.

Martin, from Cork, cites the moment Ireland became the first country to implement a workplace smoking ban in 2004 during his time as health minister as among his proudest political achievements.

The son of an Irish international boxer, he has also held Cabinet ministries for enterprise, foreign affairs, defence and education.

He has been the leader of Fianna Fáil since 2011.

Harris, the outgoing taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael, will take the deputy prime minister’s role, known is Ireland as tánaiste.

Martin will later nominate members of the next government.

The incoming Cabinet will also travel to the State Reception Room of Áras an Uachtaráin to receive their Seals of Office.

The final make-up of that Cabinet will be closely watched with some departments expected to be reshaped as portfolios swap between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Fianna Fáil will hold most Cabinet positions, with independents securing two “super junior” ministries with seats at the table during formation talks.

The independents-backed government has already faced a number of rows around the make-up of the coalition.

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