92 MPs voted in defense of Martin's cabinet; 78 people were in favor of the government's resignation. The Irish opposition, led by the Sinn Fein party, emphasized that the government had failed to cope with the situation caused by the sharp increase in fuel prices and fuel shortages on the market.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said in parliament that a government that “pats each other on the back, congratulates and flatters each other lives in a bubble outside which people see a government that is detached from reality.”
– It is your arrogance, lack of common sense, lack of any empathy that has made people come to no other conclusion than this: your time is up – emphasized the leader of Sinn Fein.
In a speech before the vote, the head of the Irish government called the lockdowns “devastating” and refuted accusations of passivity in the face of the rapidly growing crisis.
“The basic claim that we are doing nothing and falling behind other countries is simply not true,” said Martin, whose government is formed by a coalition of the center-right Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties and several independent parties.
Price increases, caused by limited supplies due to Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, first caused huge queues at gas stations. On Tuesday, April 7, roadblocks began to form on the country's main arteries, involving truck drivers, farmers and taxi and bus operators. The demonstrators demanded, among other things: introduction of price limits or tax cuts.
In the following days, the protests grew, until the government finally ordered the police and army to remove the blockades; among others established on the road to the country's only oil refinery in Whitegate, County Cork. There were clashes between police and protesters over the weekend; officers used, among others, pepper spray, and a military truck demolished a barricade of wooden logs in Galway port.
Since the end of February, the price of petrol has increased from an average of EUR 1.73 per liter to EUR 1.91/l, and diesel from EUR 1.72 to EUR 2.14/l.
