Election of Taoiseach:Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he was "honoured and humbled" by the democratic mandate he had received from the Irish people.
"It is an honour I will work with all my might to repay," he added.
He said that he accepted the Dáil's nomination for the office of Taoiseach with "great pride and an acute sense of responsibility". The Government, he said, would work to protect prosperity and strive to ensure that Ireland's potential was achieved.
"In doing so, I look forward to achieving with the social partners the challenging goals we agreed in Towards 2016. I also look forward to leading the public service into a new phase of modernisation and change to the benefit of all our people."
Mr Ahern recalled that, five years ago, he had said that high office did not confer upon its holder a monopoly of wisdom or the benefit of hindsight. "It has certainly proved to be so . . . but I take courage from all the lessons I have learnt from life including my life in politics. I especially take heart that I have learnt from experience that effort is rewarded and that if you stay the course, difficult goals can be reached."
Paying tribute to his political opponents on the Opposition benches, Mr Ahern said: "Political battles are hard fought and a general election is especially so. Deputy Enda Kenny and Deputy Pat Rabbitte made their case to the people and they did so with all the strength and passion of people who were genuinely persuaded of their cause . . . I want to wish them and their families well in the future."
He pledged that the cause of peace "will be the cause that is always closest to my heart".
Nominating Mr Ahern for taoiseach, Minister for Finance Brian Cowen said that Ireland had moved from being a nation defined by the problems it faced to one defined by the opportunities it had created.
"In this, Deputy Bertie Ahern has played an essential role . . . He has combined high office with a determination to stay close to the people who put him there," he added.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said: "We are not only voting for Deputy Bertie Ahern to be taoiseach, but for the opportunity to play our full part in a government that will set the country on a course to being a leader in terms of quality of life, energy efficiency, renewable energy technology, good food production, equitable healthcare and good planning. That government will reflect to some extent the diversity that characterises society." The party, he said, was giving implementation to the programme for government the green light through its support for Mr Ahern as Taoiseach.
Proposing Enda Kenny for taoiseach, Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton said that most voters "did not want to see the same battered vessel or tired crew put back to sea".
"They wanted to see a serious change of government, which is what Deputy Kenny would offer as taoiseach," he added.
He said he was proposing a man who did not make promises to voters that he did not intend to honour when he was returned to government.
"I propose a man who remoulded a defeated party some years ago and created the most vibrant force in politics which won 20 seats in the recent election, unlike any other party in the Dáil. Supporting Mr Kenny's nomination, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said that the Fine Gael leader was an immensely experienced parliamentarian.
"He is immensely popular with his colleagues on all sides of this House. He is an honest politician whose talents are well suited to the job of managing a government."
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) expressed regret that the election "has reinforced the dominant position of the two main conservative parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael". It was also evident, he said, that Labour was tying itself so closely to Fine Gael and had facilitated Fine Gael's return to the Dáil with even greater numbers.
He added that the Green Party's decision to form a coalition with Fianna Fáil and the PDs was a bad day for progressive politics in the State.
Acting PD leader Mary Harney said she strongly believed in collective responsibility and loyalty in government.
"That is what I have sought to achieve over the past 10 years and that is what I want to achieve with our new colleagues in government over the next five years."
Tony Gregory (Independent, Dublin Central) said there had been some speculation in recent weeks in the media regarding why he was not involved in talks with one of the nominees, Deputy Ahern. "Perhaps that was because we both shared the same constituency and the deputy was conscious of the priority issues on which I contested the recent election," he said.
Jackie Healy-Rae (Independent, Kerry South) said he had a wonderful relationship with Mr Ahern since he was elected to the House in 1997.
"I look forward to backing this brand new government comprising Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats and my fellow Independent deputies," he said.
Mr Ahern was elected Taoiseach by 89 votes to 76. He was supported by Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, PDs and Independents Jackie Healy-Rae, Michael Lowry (Tipperary North), Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central), and Beverley Flynn (Mayo). He was opposed by Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Féin and Independent Tony Gregory.
After the vote, Mr Kenny said that given the "Taoiseach's infernal ability to create or construct a government of incompatibles, I must wish him well in what he does".
