Mary Lou McDonald has refused to rule out entering into coalition with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, as Sinn Fein kicked off its election campaign.

Ms McDonald said the “best outcome” of the election would be a government without those two parties – but stopped short of entering into a partnership with her long-term rivals.

She said: “I will talk to anybody – I have made no secret about that.”

Sinn Fein won the popular vote in 2020 but a failure to run enough candidates meant it did not secure sufficient seats in the Dail to give it a realistic chance of forming a government.

The main opposition party goes into the election on the back of a difficult few weeks, after intense criticism over its handling of several controversies related to allegations against members.

In the last 12 months the party has also seen its ratings dip significantly, dropping from frontrunner to leave it trailing behind Fine Gael and Fianna Fail in a series of recent polls.

Speaking to the media on Friday alongside members of her frontbench, Ms McDonald acknowledged the controversies but said her party would enter the election with “determination”.

In advance of polling day on November 29, she said the party had selected 71 candidates so far – its biggest field of candidates in a century.

Asked if she could guarantee there were no allegations or complaints against them, Ms McDonald said: “There are no complaints.”

The Sinn Fein leader said the party was running enough candidates to enter into government without Fine Gael or Fianna Fail – even though 71 would not be enough for a majority.

However, she also recalled other parties holding the position that they would not enter into coalition with Sinn Fein after 2020.

Ms McDonald said: “People were turning up their noses and saying they wouldn’t speak to us – apparently, we weren’t good enough. ”

She added: “I’m not going to insult the citizens and voters by taking a position like that.

“I will talk to people, but our preferred outcome, to be absolutely clear, is a new government without Fianna Fail or Fine Gael.

“For that to happen, people need to come out and vote for Sinn Fein to change the government. That’s the winning formula.”

For his part, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin emphasised he would not countenance any coalition with Sinn Fein as the election campaign formally got under way on Friday.

Ms McDonald told reporters in Dublin that the election offered voters a choice to elect a government that would “move heaven and earth” to make housing and childcare affordable, reform the health services and prepare for unification on the island.

She added: “After a century of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, it is now time to make that change, to give Sinn Fein the chance to lead and the chance to deliver.”

The media opportunity did not initially go to plan, as party press officers attempted to corral reporters on to the main roadway outside Government Buildings, which holds offices for several key departments.

The party had wanted to frame a rented mobile advertisement, emblazoned with the slogan “Time to Change the Government”, outside the Department of An Taoiseach.

The plan was scuppered under protests from a garda stationed at the department, who raised traffic management concerns.

Ms McDonald also told reporters that the party had “made mistakes”, following the worse-than-expected results in the local and European elections earlier this year.

She pointed to the party’s support of the Government’s unsuccessful referendums as an example, but has previously said Sinn Fein needed to offer more “clarity” on its immigration platform.