Ireland's Donohoe expected to join race for Eurogroup chair: source

Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe is expected to put his name forward later on Thursday to join Spain’s economy minister Nadia Calvino in the race to head the Eurogroup of 19 euro zone finance ministers, a government source told Reuters.

Proposals for the influential post must be submitted by the end of Thursday, a day before members of Donohoe’s Fine Gael and two other Irish parties vote on a deal struck last week to elect a new government following an inconclusive February election.

Nominating Donohoe would make it all but certain that the 45-year-old former European minister will be reappointed to the finance brief on Saturday if the deal is ratified. A no vote by either of the three parties could lead to fresh elections.