New Dáil meets for first time since General Election

The 34th Dáil meets for the first time this morning where TDs will vote on the election of a Ceann Comhairle.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will not nominate anyone for the position of Taoiseach today, however, Sinn Féin will propose Mary Lou McDonald for the role.

The Dáil is set to vote on a proposal later this evening to adjourn until 22 January when it is envisaged a Taoiseach and a new government could be appointed.

This is a day rich in ceremony which will begin with the Clerk of the Dáil officially announcing the names of the 174 TDs elected last month.

Among them will be 64 new TDs including the youngest member of the house, the 24-year-old Labour TD for Cork North-Central, Eoghan Kenny.

The longest serving member of the Dáil is Fianna Fáil's Wille O'Dea who was first elected in 1982.

The opening task facing TDs is the election in a secret ballot of a Ceann Comhairle to chair the Dáil.

There are four candidates in the race, Independent Verona Murphy, the outgoing Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl, Fianna Fáil's John McGuinness and Aengus Ó Snodaigh from Sinn Féin.

Verona Murphy is the favourite to win this election after she got the endorsement of the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael leaders.

Simon Harris told his party last night that this decision was based on the grounds that it would help form a government in January.

That move has been criticised by some opposition parties who accused Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael of using the position as a bargaining chip.

Given that a government cannot be appointed today, Simon Harris will have to follow procedure and formally resign from the role of Taoiseach at Arás an Uachtaráin this morning.

However, he will continue in the role as Government formation talks continue and he will attend a European Council meeting tonight.