Enda Kenny was re-elected Irish prime minister Friday to end 10 weeks of political deadlock, when his party's biggest rival abstained to usher in the first minority government in decades — and one many believe will be short-lived.

After suffering heavy losses at the Feb. 26 election, Kenny's center-right Fine Gael party returned to power with the backing of nine independent lawmakers and facilitated by its main rival, Fianna Fail, which agreed to abstain from opposition on key votes until the end of 2018.

"The government I lead will be a very different kind of administration formed in almost unprecedented circumstances," Kenny told parliament after 59 of its 157 members — one more than he needs to be assured of passing legislation — backed him on the fourth attempt in two months.