Ireland's Enda Kenny loses parliamentary vote for prime minister

The Prime Minister of Ireland Enda Kenny speaks to the press as he arrives for an EU leaders summit with Turkey on migrants crisis on March 7, 2016 at the European Council, in Brussels. PHOTO: AFP

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny lost a vote in parliament to be re-elected premier as expected on Thursday (March 10), and was set to assume the role in a caretaker capacity while his Fine Gael party attempts to form a new government.

Kenny's outgoing coalition was rejected by voters in Feb 26 elections that produced no clear outcome, making Ireland the latest euro zone state to face a prolonged political stalemate that senior ministers say could take weeks to break.

Kenny's centre-right party is 29 seats short of the 79 needed to form a majority in parliament, leaving its historic rival, Fianna Fail, as the only obvious partner to form an alliance that many in both parties are resisting.

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