genie that guesses

Bears general manager Ryan Poles was granted a reprieve complete with a second swing at hiring a head coach in Chicago. Poles will interview candidates and select a replacement for Matt Eberflus, who was fired Friday after the Bears' sixth consecutive loss and fourth of the season decided on a final play. "Ryan Poles is the general manager of the Chicago Bears, and he will remain the general manager of the Chicago Bears," president and CEO Kevin Warren said Monday. "Ryan will serve as the point person of our upcoming search for a head football coach. We will closely, we will work together on a daily basis to make sure we have the right person as our head football coach." Warren said the McCaskey family provided "all the resources" to build a championship environment. He confirmed that Thomas Brown, who a month ago was passing game coordinator before replacing Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator, will serve as interim head coach and shift from the press box to the sideline starting this week. Warren did not say whether Brown would automatically receive an interview for the full-time coaching position, which he said "will be the most coveted head coaching job in the National Football League." Poles said consideration will be given to candidates with the plan to develop rookie No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, but there are no set plans to involve the quarterback in the interview process. He said the Bears showed great progress through two seasons but couldn't sustain growth. "At the end of the day, we just came up short too many times," Poles said of firing Eberflus, his pick to be the Bears' head coach in January 2022. Brown promoted wide receivers coach Chris Beatty to interim offensive coordinator on Monday and announced that defensive coordinator Eric Washington will be the defensive play caller, a role Eberflus previously held. Trailing 23-20 on Thanksgiving Day, the Bears were within field-goal range when quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked. With 32 seconds remaining, Eberflus elected not to use his final timeout as Williams heaved an incompletion down the right sideline as time expired. "When you look at the end-of-the-game situations, detailing to finish in some of those moments. We all know a lot of games come down to those critical moments where we weren't able to get over the hump," Poles said. Eberflus said after the game that everything was handled properly and held a press conference via Zoom on Friday voicing confidence he'd have the team ready to play the 49ers this week. But three hours later, he was fired. Warren admitted the franchise could've handled the timing better, but clarified there was no decision on Eberflus' status at the time of his media session. "The decision was made to terminate the employment of head coach Matt Eberflus," Warren said 72 hours later. "We try to do everything in a professional manner. That decision was made on Friday." "Coach Eberflus had his press conference, we had not made a final decision. I think you know me, you know Ryan you know George McCaskey. One thing we stand for is family, integrity, doing it the right way. In retrospect, could we have done it better? Absolutely." Eberflus, 54, went 14-32 in two-plus seasons. The Bears (4-8) travel to San Francisco (5-7) in Week 1. --Field Level MediaVANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Atelier Meats Corp. (the “ “) is pleased to announce a proposed brokered private placement of special warrants of the Company (each, a “ “), to be conducted by Canaccord Genuity Corp., as the sole agent, (the “ “) on a commercially reasonable best efforts basis, pursuant to which the Company will offer at least 6,000,000 Special Warrants at a price of $0.50 per Special Warrant (the “ “) for gross proceeds of at least $3,000,000 (the “ “). Concurrently with the Brokered Offering, the Company intends to complete a non-brokered offering of Special Warrants at the Offering Price for gross proceeds of at least $1,000,000 on the same terms as the Brokered Offering (the “ “, collectively with the Brokered Offering, the “ “). Each Special Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to receive, without any further action on the part of the holder or payment of any additional consideration, one unit of the Company (each, a “ “). Each Unit shall consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (a “ “) and one Common Share purchase warrant (a “ “). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.60 at any time prior to the date that is 24 months from the Closing Date (as defined herein). All unexercised Special Warrants will automatically be exercised into Units on the ‎day (the “ “) that is the earlier of (i) four (4) months ‎and a day following Closing Date (as ‎defined herein), and (ii) as soon as ‎reasonably practicable, and in any event no later than the third (3rd) ‎business day, after a receipt is issued for the Final Prospectus (as defined herein). The Company will‎ prepare and file a preliminary prospectus and a final ‎‎prospectus (the “ “) with each of the securities ‎regulatory ‎authorities in the provinces of Canada in which the Special ‎Warrants are sold (the ‎‎” “) and obtain a receipt thereof, ‎qualifying the distribution of the Units underlying the Special ‎Warrants, ‎in compliance with applicable securities law. In the event that the Company has not received a receipt for the Final ‎Prospectus within 60 days following the Closing Date, each ‎unexercised Special Warrant will thereafter entitle the holder thereof to ‎receive upon the exercise thereof, at no additional consideration, one-‎and-one-tenth (1.10) Unit (instead of one Unit) (the additional ‎Units are ‎collectively referred to as “ “). ‎Any ‎fractional entitlement to Penalty Units will be rounded down to the ‎‎nearest whole Penalty Unit‎.‎ The Company has agreed to pay the Agent a commission equal to 7.0% of the aggregate proceeds of the Brokered Offering payable in cash or Special Warrants, or any combination of cash or Special Warrants at the sole option of the Agent (“ “), as well as a corporate finance fee of $100,000 payable in cash (“ “). In addition, subject to compliance with all required regulatory approvals, the Company will issue to the Agent such number of compensation options (each, an “ “) as is equal to 7.0% of the aggregate Special Warrants sold under the Brokered Offering, each of which will entitle the Agent to purchase one Unit at the Offering Price at any time prior to the date that is 24 months from the ‎Closing Date. The Special Warrants will be offered for sale to purchasers in: (i) all provinces of Canada, except Quebec, pursuant to available private ‎placement exemptions under National Instrument 45-106 ; (ii) the United States on a private placement basis pursuant to available exemptions from the registration requirements under the , as amended (“ “); and (iii) offshore jurisdictions agreed upon between the Company and the Agent pursuant to available prospectus or registration exemptions in accordance with applicable laws. Closing of the Offerings is expected to take place on such date or dates as agreed to by the Company and the Agent (the “ “), but closing of the Non-Brokered Offering may take place at a different time and/or date from that of the Brokered Offering, in the Company’s sole discretion. The net proceeds of the Offerings will be used for advancing the development of patents and products, continuing the new product research and development with the University of Rutgers for commercialization including making outstanding payments to the University of Rutgers, for expenses relate to the Offering as well as marketing and general working capital. The Offerings are intended to be undertaken in connection with the Company’s proposed direct listing of its common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (“ “) (the “ “). The Company is a reporting issuer in Alberta and British Columbia. The Special Warrants will be issued pursuant to a private placement and until a receipt is issued for the Final Prospectus, the Special Warrants will be subject to a hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws expiring on the date that is four months and a day following the Closing Date. It is a condition of the proposed Transaction that the Company receive all required board, shareholder, third party, and regulatory approvals, as applicable, and that the Company receives conditional approval to list its common shares on the CSE. In connection therewith, the Company has filed a listing application with the CSE, in accordance with the policies of the CSE. Upon listing, it is expected that the Company’s common shares will trade under the ticker symbol “STKK”. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities of the Company in the United States. The securities of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Atelier Meats Corp. stands out in the cultured meat industry with its groundbreaking scaffold technology, designed to address the key challenge of scalability that has hindered many other companies. By providing a structural framework for lab-grown cells to grow into complex meat cuts, the Company’s proprietary solution enables the efficient and cost-effective production of high-quality cultured meat at scale. With two pending patents, the Company’s technology offers a competitive edge and a licensing model that could empower other companies in the industry to overcome scalability obstacles. This positions the Company as a vital player in driving the cultured meat sector toward widespread adoption and market viability. Leighton Bocking Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director Email: Website:genie that guesses 。

Orsted seeks buyer for half of UK Hornsea 3 wind farm stake- reportZionist forces storm Gaza hospital; dead bodies on the streetsRevenue of $44.6M with $4M Adjusted EBITDA1 (6th Consecutive Positive Quarter) Historic Positive Cash Flow from Operations and Improved Gross Margins Approval of $51million direct loan from The Export-Import Bank of the United States expected to fund Electrovaya's lithium ion cell and battery manufacturing facility in Jamestown, New York Removal of Going Concern note in the financial statements due to improved financial performance TORONTO, ONTARIO / ACCESSWIRE / December 12, 2024 / Electrovaya Inc. ("Electrovaya" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:ELVA)(TSX:ELVA), a leading lithium-ion battery technology and manufacturing company, today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 ("Q4 2024" & "FY 2024", respectively). All dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted. Financial Highlights: Revenue for FY 2024 was $44.6 million, compared to $44.1 million in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 ("FY 2023"). Gross margin was 30.7% in FY 2024, an improvement of 377 basis points compared to FY 2023. Battery system margins remained strong at 31.3% for the fiscal year. Adjusted EBITDA1 was $4.1 million, a significant improvement of $0.8 million compared to $3.3 million in FY 2023. Q4 2024 was the Company's sixth consecutive quarter of positive Adjusted EBITDA1. The Company generated positive cash from operating activities of $1.0 million for FY 2024, compared to cash used in operating activities of $5.2 million in FY2023, a significant improvement in operating cash flow of $6.2 million. Given the improved financial performance of the Company, management and the Company's auditors concluded that the going concern note in the company's financial statements is no longer required. Key Operational and Strategic Highlights - Q4 FY 2024 & Subsequent Events: Added New Global Construction Equipment OEM customer: The Company announced the receipt of its first purchase orders from a global Japanese-headquartered manufacturer of construction equipment. Electrovaya will be powering an electric excavator product line with an estimated scaled production start in 2026. The initial shipments are expected to be delivered in Q2 FY2025 to a manufacturing site in Japan. Sumitomo Corporation Power and Mobility is the trading company partner. Received Follow-On Orders from Global Aerospace & Defense Company: The Company announced repeat orders following significant validation testing for its high voltage battery systems from a Global Aerospace and Defense company. The Company believes that its products and technologies provide mission critical sectors, including defense applications, key competitive advantages due to inherent safety and performance benefits. Received Direct Loan Approval from Export-Import Bank of the United States: On November 14, 2024, the Company announced that it had secured approval for a direct loan in the amount of US$50.8 million from the Export-Import Bank of the United States ("EXIM") under the bank's "Make More in America" initiative. This financing is expected to fund Electrovaya's battery manufacturing buildout in Jamestown, New York including equipment, engineering and setup costs for the facility. Electrovaya is currently in the process of finalizing loan documentation and terms with an anticipated funding date in CY Q1 2025. Continued Growth from Leading End-Customers: The Company recently announced new orders from its two largest end customers, including a Fortune 100 e-commerce company and a leading Fortune 500 retailer. These orders are significant due to both the renewed demand and in the case of the Fortune 500 retailer, an intention to revamp its significant existing warehouse infrastructure. Management Commentary: "Electrovaya, with its core technology advantages and proven performance, is poised to lead mission-critical and heavy-duty energy storage solutions," said Dr. Raj DasGupta, Electrovya's CEO. "With growing demand from existing and new customers, we expect robust growth in 2025 and onwards. This includes increasing revenue, enhancing profitability, and expanding domestic lithium-ion cell manufacturing in the U.S." "Reaching record revenue, achieving six consecutive quarters of positive adjusted EBITDA1, generating positive cash flow from operations, and removing the going concern note are pivotal milestones for Electrovaya," stated John Gibson, Electrovaya's CFO. "These achievements solidify our financial position and set the stage for anticipated revenue growth exceeding $60 million with profitability in Fiscal 2025, driven by strong demand from key end users. Finally, the approved $51 million direct loan by the Export-Import Bank of the United States will support building up additional domestic manufacturing capacity and vertical integration to support our anticipated growth beyond 2026. " Positive Financial Outlook & Fiscal 2025 Guidance: The Company anticipates strong growth into FY2025 with estimated revenues to exceed $60 million driven by renewed demand from the Company's largest end users of material handling batteries. This guidance considers its existing purchase orders, along with anticipated orders in its pipeline from key end users and customers. This guidance also takes into consideration a percentage of anticipated revenue that may be deferred to FY 2026 (please see Forward Looking Statements for further clarification). Selected Annual Financial Information for the Years ended September 30, 2024, 2023 and 2022: Results of Operations (Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars) Summary Financial Position (Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars) Cash flow statement (Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars) Quarterly Results of Operations (Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars) 1 Non-IFRS Measure: Adjusted EBITDA is defined as income/(loss) from operations, plus stock-based compensation costs and depreciation and amortization costs. Adjusted EBITDA does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. Therefore it is unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Management believes that certain investors and analysts use adjusted EBITDA to measure the performance of the business and is an accepted measure of financial performance in our industry. It is not a measure of financial performance under IFRS, and may not be defined and calculated in the same manner by other companies and should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to IFRS measures. The most directly comparable measure to Adjusted EBITDA calculated in accordance with IFRS is income (loss) from operations. The Company's complete Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov , as well as on the Company's website at www.electrovaya.com . Conference Call & Webcast details: Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024 Time: 5:00 pm. Eastern Standard Time (EST) Toll Free: 888-506-0062 International: 973-528-0011 Participant Access Code: 193374 Webcast: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2975/49582 To help ensure that the conference begins in a timely manner, please dial in 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. For those unable to participate in the conference call, a replay will be available for two weeks beginning on December 13, 2024 through December 27, 2024. To access the replay, the dial-in number is 877-481-4010 and 919-882-2331. The replay access ID is 49582. Investor and Media Contact: Jason Roy Director, Corporate Development and Investor Relations Electrovaya Inc. jroy@electrovaya.com 905-855-4618 Brett Maas Hayden IR elva@haydenir.com 646-536-7331 About Electrovaya Inc. Electrovaya Inc. (NASDAQ:ELVA)(TSX:ELVA) is a pioneering leader in the global energy transformation, focused on contributing to the prevention of climate change by supplying safe and long-lasting lithium-ion batteries without compromising energy and power. The Company has extensive IP and designs, develops and manufactures proprietary lithium-ion batteries, battery systems, and battery-related products for energy storage, clean electric transportation, and other specialized applications.Electrovaya has two operating sites in Canada and a 52-acre site with a 135,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Jamestown New York state for its planned gigafactory. To learn more about how Electrovaya is powering mobility and energy storage, please explore www.electrovaya.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements that relate to, among other things, revenue growth and revenue guidance of approximately $60 million in FY 2025, other financial projections, including projected sales, cost of sales, gross margin, working capital, cash flow, and overheads anticipated in FY 2025, the expected timing of deliveries of pre-production battery modules in Japan, anticipated cash needs and the Company's requirements for additional financing, purchase orders, mass production schedules, funding from EXIM and the ability to satisfy the conditions to drawing on any facility entered into with EXIM,, use of proceeds of the EXIM facility,, ability to deliver to customer requirements. Forward-looking statements can generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "likely", "possible", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "objective" and "continue" (or the negative thereof) and words and expressions of similar import. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors and assumptions are applied in making forward looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has made various material assumptions, including but not limited to assumptions with respect to the Company's customers deploying its products in accordance with communicated intentions, the Company's customers completing new distribution centres in accordance with communicated expectations, intentions and plans, anticipated new orders in FY 2025 based on customers' historical patterns and additional demand communicated to the Company and its partners, but not yet provided as a purchase order together with the Company's current firm purchase order backlog totaling approximately $80 million, a discount of approximately 25% used in the revenue modeling applied to the overall expected order pipeline to account for potential delays in customer orders, expected decreases in input and material costs combined with stable selling prices in FY 2025, delivery of ordered products on a basis consistent with past deliveries, and that the Company's customer counterparties will meet their production and demand growth targets, ]the Company's ability to successfully execute its plans and intentions, including with respect to the entry into new business segments and servicing existing customers, the availability to obtain financing on reasonable commercial terms, including any EXIM facility. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to customers not placing orders roughly in accordance with historical ordering patterns and communicated intentions, macroeconomic effects on the Company and its business, and on the lithium battery industry generally, not being able to obtain financing on reasonable commercial terms or at all, including not being able to satisfy any condition of drawdowns under any EXIM facility if entered into, that the Company's products will not perform as expected, supply and demand fundamentals for lithium-ion batteries, the risk of interest rate increases, persistent inflation in the United States and Canada and other macroeconomic challenges, the political, economic, and regulatory and business stability of, or otherwise affecting, the jurisdictions in which the Company operates, including new tariff regimes. Additional information about material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations and about material factors or assumptions applied in making forward-looking statements may be found in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended September 30, 2023 under "Risk Factors", and in the Company's most recent annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis under "Qualitative And Quantitative Disclosures about Risk and Uncertainties" as well as in other public disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and filed or furnished with the SEC.. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward looking statements contained in this document, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Revenue guidance for FY2025 described herein constitute future‐oriented financial information and financial outlooks (collectively, "FOFI"), and generally, is, without limitation, based on the assumptions and subject to the risks set out above under "Forward‐Looking Statements". Although management believes such assumption to be reasonable, a number of such assumptions are beyond the Company's control and there can be no assurance that the assumptions made in preparing the FOFI will prove accurate. FOFI is provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the Company's future performance, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. The FOFI does not purport to present the Company's financial condition in accordance with IFRS, and it is expected that there may be differences between audited results and preliminary results, and the differences may be material. The inclusion of the FOFI in this news release disclosure should not be regarded as an indication that the Company considers the FOFI to be a reliable prediction of future events, and the FOFI should not be relied upon as such. SOURCE: Electrovaya Inc. View the original on accesswire.com

Sio Silica is planning to try again with a controversial mining project in the same spot using the same method that the province rejected less than a year ago, but this time with more community engagement. Feisal Somji, the president and CEO of the Alberta-based mining company, said in an interview with CTV News that his company is hoping to submit a new proposal for a silica sand project in the new year. “We've never left Manitoba. We've always been here. We do want to proceed with the new application when the timing is right,” he said. In February, the province rejected a proposal from Sio Silica to set up a mining operation in an area near Vivian, Man. Manitoba’s premier and environment minister said the environmental concerns outweighed ‘uncertain’ economic benefits. “The technology that Sio is proposing to use is a new method of extraction. With this unproven approach, we cannot guarantee the safety of drinking water for future generations in this part of Manitoba,” Kinew said at the time. “For these reasons, we are saying no to Sio and refusing the license today.” Read More: Manitoba refuses licence for controversial silica sand extraction project Sio Silica had previously proposed extracting up to 1.36 million tonnes of silica sand per year by drilling wells into the area’s water aquifer over 24 years. Somji confirmed his company is going to give it another try under the name Project SiMbA. “The location is still the same as what we were working through the last time. We're looking at a facility down close to the Town of Vivian in the RM of Springfield,” he said, adding the proposed method for extracting the silica sand would also be the same. “We still believe that, and we've been trying to demonstrate that the process that we want to use is safe.” A report by the Clean Environment Commission (CEC) found that while some of the risks identified may have a low probability of occurring, there are uncertainties about the impact on water quality due to the project's experimental nature. You can read the full CEC report online . The project had faced fierce opposition from some residents in the community who feared the project could affect their drinking water – supplied by the same aquifer Sio Silica would want to drill into. When asked what would be different this time around, Somji said his company will be incorporating the recommendations made in the CEC report, along with comments his company has gathered during engagement sessions throughout the province. “We're looking to bring all that together in an application that answers and provides solutions to all of those concerns that were expressed in the past,” he said. Somji said at this point he hasn’t had any discussions with the province about a new application. CTV News had reached out for comment from Tracy Schmidt, Manitoba’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change. A press secretary for Schmidt told CTV News the province hasn’t received any application and is unable to comment on something they haven’t received. “The demand for a high-purity silica like the one sitting here in Manitoba is only increasing on a daily basis,” Somji told CTV News. “We're hopeful that the government will be open to discussions about a new application because of the economic opportunities and the jobs that will go with it.” This is a developing story. More to come.

A range of independent TDs are contemplating the prospect of entering Ireland’s next coalition government as Fianna Fail and Fine Gael consider ways to secure a solid majority. Three long days of counting in the General Election finished late on Monday night when the final two seats were declared in the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. Fianna Fail was the clear winner of the election, securing 48 of the Dail parliament’s 174 seats. Sinn Fein took 39 and Fine Gael 38. Labour and the Social Democrats both won 11 seats; People Before Profit-Solidarity took three; Aontu secured two; and the Green Party retained only one of its 12 seats. Independents and others accounted for 21 seats. The return of a Fianna Fail/Fine Gael-led coalition is now highly likely. However, their combined seat total of 86 leaves them just short of the 88 needed for a majority in the Dail. While the two centrist parties that have dominated Irish politics for a century could look to strike a deal with one of the Dail’s smaller centre-left parties, such as the Social Democrats or Labour, a more straightforward route to a majority could be achieved by securing the support of several independent TDs. For Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and current taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, wooing like-minded independents would be likely to involve fewer policy concessions, and financial commitments, than would be required to convince another party to join the government benches. Longford-Westmeath independent TD Kevin “Boxer” Moran, who served in a Fine Gael-led minority government between 2017 and 2020, expressed his willingness to listen to offers to join the new coalition in Dublin. “Look, my door’s open,” he told RTE. “Someone knocks, I’m always there to open it.” Marian Harkin, an independent TD for Sligo-Leitrim, expressed her desire to participate in government as she noted that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were within “shouting distance” of an overall majority. “That means they will be looking for support, and I certainly will be one of those people who will be speaking to them and talking to them and negotiating with them, and I’m looking forward to doing that, because that was the reason that I ran in the first place,” she said. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats and Irish Labour Party both appear cautious about the prospect of an alliance with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. They will no doubt be mindful of the experience of the Green Party, the junior partner in the last mandate. The Greens experienced near wipeout in the election, retaining only one of their 12 seats. Sinn Fein appears to currently have no realistic route to government, given Fianna Fail and Fine Gael’s ongoing refusal to share power with the party. Despite the odds being stacked against her party, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald contacted the leaders of the Social Democrats and Labour on Monday to discuss options. Earlier, Fianna Fail deputy leader and outgoing Finance Minister Jack Chambers predicted that a new coalition government would not be in place before Christmas. Mr Chambers said planned talks about forming an administration required “time and space” to ensure that any new government will be “coherent and stable”. After an inconclusive outcome to the 2020 election, it took five months for Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens to strike the last coalition deal. Mr Chambers said he did not believe it would take that long this time, as he noted the Covid-19 pandemic was a factor in 2020, but he also made clear it would not be a swift process. He said he agreed with analysis that there was no prospect of a deal before Christmas. “I don’t expect a government to be formed in mid-December, when the Dail is due to meet on December 18, probably a Ceann Comhairle (speaker) can be elected, and there’ll have to be time and space taken to make sure we can form a coherent, stable government,” he told RTE. “I don’t think it should take five months like it did the last time – Covid obviously complicated that. But I think all political parties need to take the time to see what’s possible and try and form a stable government for the Irish people.” Fine Gael minister of state Peter Burke said members of his parliamentary party would have to meet to consider their options before giving Mr Harris a mandate to negotiate a new programme for government with Fianna Fail. “It’s important that we have a strong, stable, viable government, whatever form that may be, to ensure that we can meet the challenges of our society, meet the challenges in terms of the economic changes that are potentially going to happen,” he told RTE. Despite being set to emerge with the most seats, it has not been all good news for Fianna Fail. The party’s outgoing Health Minister Stephen Donnelly became one of the biggest casualties of the election when he lost his seat in Wicklow in the early hours of Monday morning. Mr Donnelly was always predicted to face a fight in the constituency after boundary changes saw it reduced from five to four seats. If it is to be a reprise of the Fianna Fail/Fine Gael governing partnership of the last mandate, one of the major questions is around the position of taoiseach and whether the parties will once again take turns to hold the Irish premiership during the lifetime of the new government. The outcome in 2020 saw the parties enter a coalition on the basis that the holder of the premier position would be exchanged midway through the term. Fianna Fail leader Mr Martin took the role for the first half of the mandate, with Leo Varadkar taking over in December 2022. Current Fine Gael leader Mr Harris succeeded Mr Varadkar as taoiseach when he resigned from the role earlier this year. However, this time Fianna Fail has significantly increased its seat lead over Fine Gael, compared with the last election when there were only three seats between the parties. The size of the disparity in party numbers is likely to draw focus on the rotating taoiseach arrangement, raising questions as to whether it will be re-run in the next coalition and, if it is, on what terms. On Sunday, Simon Coveney, a former deputy leader of Fine Gael, said a coalition that did not repeat the rotating taoiseach arrangement in some fashion would be a “difficult proposition” for his party. Meanwhile, Fine Gael minister Paschal Donohoe said he would be making the case for Mr Harris to have another opportunity to serve as taoiseach. On Monday, Mr Chambers said while his party would expect to lead the government it would approach the issue of rotating the taoiseach’s role on the basis of “mutual respect” with Fine Gael. “I think the context of discussions and negotiations will be driven by mutual respect, and that’s the glue that will drive a programme for government and that’s the context in which we’ll engage,” he said. On Monday, Labour leader Ivana Bacik reiterated her party’s determination to forge an alliance with fellow centre-left parties with the intention of having a unified approach to the prospect of entering government. Asked if Labour was prepared to go into government with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael on its own, she told RTE: “No, not at this stage. We are absolutely not willing to do that. “We want to ensure there’s the largest number of TDs who share our vision and our values who want to deliver change on the same basis that we do.” The Social Democrats have been non-committal about any potential arrangement with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, and have restated a series of red lines they would need to achieve before considering taking a place in government. Leader Holly Cairns, who gave birth to a daughter on polling day on Friday, said in a statement: “The party is in a very strong position to play an important role in the next Dail. In what position, government or opposition, remains to be seen.” Fianna Fail secured the most first preference votes in Friday’s proportional representation election, taking 21.9% to Fine Gael’s 20.8%. Sinn Fein came in third on 19%. While Sinn Fein’s vote share represented a marked improvement on its disappointing showing in June’s local elections in Ireland, it is still significantly down on the 24.5% poll-topping share it secured in the 2020 general election. The final breakdown of first preferences also flipped the result of Friday night’s exit poll, which suggested Sinn Fein was in front on 21.1%, with Fine Gael on 21% and Fianna Fail on 19.5%.