With two days to go, parties make final pitches to public

With just two days of campaigning left before polls open, party leaders are hammering home their messages as they jockey to maximise their chances of forming the next government.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald expressed scepticism over Micheál Martin's continued insistence that his party will not go into government with hers.

She said that the Fianna Fáil leader had been categoric about such issues in the past - only to go into coalition with Fine Gael.

At a party meeting, Mr Martin declared that Fianna Fáil has ensured that the country has enough reserves to pay public servants and maintain public services should there be any future economic challenges.

The Fine Gael leader Simon Harris spoke on local radio in his home constituency of Wicklow before travelling to Meath East for a party rally.

While the leader of the Green Party urged voters against what he termed "sleepwalking" into a "conservative government".

Roderic O'Gorman claimed that "right-wing independents" and "populist parties" could row back on progressive policies.

He said that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael "want a coalition partner that represents the path of least resistance."

The Labour Party accused Fine Gael of mounting an "operation fear" on the economy and dismissed the gambit as lacking any credibility.

The greatest threat to the country's economic stability was the return of the current administration, finance spokesperson Ged Nash asserted.

Labour party leader Ivana Bacik again insisted that the only way to bring about change was for centre-left parties to form a bloc in any government formation talks.

The Social Democrats deputy leader, Cian O'Callaghan, warned that Ireland cannot afford a continuation of the Government's failed housing policy for the next five years, given that the average house price has surged to €345,000 during the Coalition's time in office.

"We certainly will talk to other parties and see where we can get common ground," he said at the party's final press conference of the campaign.

"We especially want to talk to any other parties that are supportive of the five areas that we've outlined to see how we get them to support our five deal-breakers."

Those include guaranteeing the delivery of 50,000 affordable purchase homes and the full implementation of Sláintecare.