The leaders of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin were taking part in a debate just days before the general election.
The leaders of Ireland's three main political parties take part in the final election television debate ahead of Friday's polling day
Michaél Martin of Fianna Fail and the Fine Gael leader Simon Harris both said they will not accept Sinn Fein as a potential partner because of fundamental policy differences.Martin, McDonald and Harris with presenters Miriam O'Callaghan and Sarah McInerney The Sinn Féin leader also defended her party's handling of recent internal controversies on both sides of the border saying that all the people involved were held to account, lost their jobs and are no longer in Sinn Féin.
The stakes were high as Martin, Harris, and McDonald made their pitch to the electorate during the debate.Martin was Taoiseach for the first two and a half years of the outgoing government, and Harris took on the role for the final seven months of the government after he replaced Leo Varadkar as leader of Fine Gael.As outgoing coalition partners, they couldn't allow the debate to be viewed as two outgoing government leaders joining forces against the Sinn Féin leader.
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