TAOISEACH SIMON HARRIS has said it is his prerogative to consider when an election is in “the best interest for Ireland”. 

Harris had previously said the Government should “go full term” before an election is called, however election speculation has been rife in political circles, with the majority predicting an election before Christmas. 

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, the Taoiseach said he wanted Government to “finish the work that is underway”.

He said he will make the decision when the the next election will be “in a considered way”. 

“When is the right time for Ireland to have a general election? When is the right time for me to ask the people of Ireland to renew my mandate? he said.

The Social Welfare and Gambling bills, as well as hate crime legislation, passed all stages last night, further adding the to speculation that an early election is coming. 

In addition, a planned trade mission to Poland, which the Taoiseach was to lead, has been cancelled. 

While the trip has been postponed with sources downplaying the cancellation of the trip, it also points to the calendar being cleared for a possible election.

Harris has said he will consult the coalition leaders in advance of any announcement.

“I’ve been Taoiseach of this country for just over six months, I very much look forward to putting my case to the people and asking the people to give me an opportunity to have a mandate to be Taoiseach for the time ahead.

“I will want this Government to end well, because this Government works well. We have had more than four-and-a-half years now, we have delivered five budgets, and I will discuss in due course with my colleagues when I believe the right time is.”

He added: “I want to see when is the right time, when the work that is underway is completed, when is there a proper space to have an election, and when is that time best for Ireland.”

On Wednesday, Tánaiste Micheal Martin spoke about specific timings when an election might be possible , but he said the Finance Bill needs to be passed to give effect to the budget. 

Speaking to the Irish Times Inside Politics podcast, Martin said his view remained that the Government has “work to complete”.

He said:

“To a large extent there are two dates for this election – one is end of November, beginning of December, or February. The gap between November and February isn’t huge.”

“The Finance Bill will be the key piece of legislation and that scheduling is in for the first week of November for committee stage,” he said. There is no indication in next week’s Dáil schedule that the bill is being fast-tracked. 

“If it’s the desire of some and others to do things earlier, we’d need to game that and people would need to work through the timelines around critical pieces of legislation,” Martin said yesterday.