Ireland bail-out: Calls for election intensify
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The Republic of Ireland's two main opposition parties have called for an immediate general election after an EU-led bail-out of the country's economy.
The Labour Party and Fine Gael spoke out after the Green Party, junior partners in the governing coalition, called for an election in January.
The government has accepted up to 90bn euros (£77bn; $124bn) in loans.
But PM Brian Cowen said he would not stand down, and his government would focus on preparing an austerity budget.
He said he would not dissolve parliament until after his emergency measures have been approved by parliament in the New Year.
The government is due to publish a four-year economic plan on Wednesday.
Earlier, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said in a statement: "What is needed now is an immediate general election so that a new government, with a clear parliamentary majority, can prepare the four-year economic plan, complete negotiations with the EU and IMF, and frame a budget for 2011".
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said it was "essential that we have a new government elected as soon as possible".
Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The past week has been a traumatic one for the Irish electorate” End Quote John Gormley Green Party leader
Mr Cowen was speaking after calling cabinet ministers to an emergency meeting late on Monday.
Meanwhile, police removed demonstrators from the grounds of Government Buildings in Dublin and there were clashes when some of those escorted out tried to hold a sit-down protest.
The austerity budget, to be unveiled on 7 December, will set out 4.5bn euros of spending cuts and new or increased taxes designed to raise 1.5bn euros.
A tough budget is the trade-off for the bail-out that Irish ministers agreed with the EU and the IMF on Sunday.
However, adding to the government's woes on Monday, two independent MPs helping to prop up the coalition said they could not give a commitment to support the budget unless the opposition had a hand in drafting it.
Narrow majority
Even with Green Party support, the crumbling government of Mr Cowen has just a three-seat majority in parliament and faces a by-election in one of those seats on Thursday.
In a statement, Green Party leader John Gormley did not say the party was pulling out of the coalition but he made a number of demands and said a general election date should be set for the second half of January.
What went wrong in the Irish Republic The 1990s were good for the Irish Republic's economy, with low unemployment, high economic growth and strong exports creating the Celtic Tiger economy. Lots of multi-national companies set up in the Republic to take advantage of low tax rates. At the beginning of 1999, Ireland adopted the euro as its currency, which meant its interest rates were set by the European Central Bank and suddenly borrowing money became much cheaper. Cheap and easy lending and rising immigration fuelled a construction and house price boom. The government began to rely more on property-related taxes while the banks borrowed from abroad to fund the housing boom. All this left Ireland ill-equipped to deal with the credit crunch. The construction sector was hit hard, house prices collapsed, the banks had a desperate funding crisis and the government was receiving much too little tax revenue. The economy has shrunk and the government has bailed out the banks. A series of cost-cutting budgets have cut spending, benefits and public sector wages and raised taxes. But there are still doubts about future government funding. The main concern for the Republic's economy is its banks, most of which are now controlled by the government. They have had to borrow at least 83bn euros (£71bn) from the European Central Bank because other banks will not lend to them. BACK {current} of {total} NEXT
Mr Gormley, the current environment minister, stressed the election should only be held after the 2011 budget had been passed.
"Leaving the country without a government while these matters are unresolved would be very damaging and would breach our duty of care," he said in a statement.
"The past week has been a traumatic one for the Irish electorate. People feel misled and betrayed. But we have now reached a point where the Irish people need political certainty to take them beyond the coming two months."
The BBC's Mark Simpson in Dublin says the most likely shape of the next government is a right-left coalition between Fine Gael and Labour.
European shares and the euro both fell following the election call from the Green Party.
They had risen in earlier trading after the announcement of the bail-out, final details of which are yet to be worked out.
The UK is expected to contribute about £7bn of the bail-out. Chancellor George Osborne said: "Ireland is a friend in need, and we are here to help."
The crisis in the Irish Republic has been brought on by the recession and the almost total collapse of the country's banks.
Once known as the Celtic Tiger for its strong economic growth - helped by low corporate tax rates - the country has experienced a property bubble burst, leaving its banks with huge liabilities and pushing up the cost of borrowing for them and the government.
Die Republik Irland an der westlichen Peripherie des europäischen Kontinents ist zusätzlich zur Finanz- nun auch von einer politischen Krise betroffen
 Nachdem die irische Regierung entgegen den bisherigen Plänen Hilfen aus dem Euro-Rettungsschirm annehmen will (Wikinews berichtete), haben sowohl die wichtigsten Oppositionsparteien als auch der grüne Juniorpartner in der Koalition Neuwahlen gefordert. Das Rettungspaket ist an die Bedingung geknüpft, dass sich Irland mit den Kreditgebern auf einen für mehrere Jahre angelegten Austeritätsplan einigt, der den Staatshaushalt wieder in ein Gleichgewicht bringen soll. Damit stehen deutliche Budgetkürzungen und Steuererhöhungen an. 

Die Grünen sind der Meinung, dass vor solch drastischen Einschnitten das Volk gehört werden sollte. Dem haben sich die Labour-Partei und Fine Gael (dt. „Familie der Iren“) angeschlossen. Die Koalition aus Fianna Fáil (dt. „Ritter des Schicksals“) und den Grünen unter Taoiseach (Premierminister) Brian Cowen verfügt über eine knappe Mehrheit von drei Stimmen im Dáil, dem Repräsentantenhaus der irischen Republik. Während die Grünen eine Neuwahl nach der anstehenden Verabschiedung des Staatshaushaltes für das Fiskaljahr 2011 anstreben, fordert die Fianna Fáil, dass bereits vorher das neue Dáil gewählt werden soll.

Angesichts der politischen Ereignisse ist der Euro-Kurs auf den Devisenmärkten gesunken, und auf den Euro-Anleihemärkten verzeichneten sich Renditezuwächse (Kursverluste): offensichtlich sind die Märkte um den Wert der europäischen Gemeinschaftswährung besorgt.

In Dublin kam es zu Auseinandersetzungen zwischen der Polizei und Demonstranten, die Sitzblockaden vor Regierungsgebäuden durchführten, um gegen die wohl anstehenden Budgetkürzungen Stellung zu beziehen. 

In Griechenland, wo ebenfalls zur Abwendung eines Staatsbankrotts Rettungskredite mit einer drastischen Austeritätspolitik, die vor allem aus Kürzungen im öffentlichen Dienst und bei Sozialleistungen bestehen, einhergehen, manifestiert sich bereits seit Wochen Widerstand von Teilen der Bevölkerung auf der Straße. Die Republik Portugal und das Königreich Spanien betreiben ebenfalls, allerdings bisher ohne die Inanspruchnahme von Rettungskrediten, eine Politik drastischer Budgetkürzungen, um das Vertrauen der Investoren zurückzugewinnen.