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Ireland: Rival party leaders sign initial government deal
By EUobserver
The leaders of Ireland's rival Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties signed off on a broad agreement struck by their negotiating teams aimed at attracting enough additional support to form a new government, Reuters writes. The centre-right parties, who have swapped power throughout the nation's history but have never formed a coalition together, need the support of at least one smaller party or eight independent lawmakers to reach a majority.