Irish PM quits as party leader

Embattled Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen announced yesterday he was stepping down as head of his Fianna Fail party but would remain leader of the country ahead of elections on March 11.

In a surprise move after a week of political turmoil, Cowen said he wanted them to fight the election “free from internal distractions”, while he himself could now focus on getting budget laws passed to secure an EU-IMF bailout.

“Taking everything into account, and having discussed the matter with my family, I have decided on my own counsel to step down as ‘uachtarain’ (president) of Fianna Fail and leader of Fianna Fail,” Cowen told reporters in Dublin.

Despite surviving a confidence vote in his party last Tuesday, Cowen’s authority was seriously damaged by a botched cabinet reshuffle that sparked the anger of his coalition partners and forced him to announce an election date.

He expressed his intention to stay on as premier until the poll, saying: “I will continue in my role as ‘taoiseach’ (prime minister) as I have before.”

He said he would focus on passing the finance act, which includes a series of measures crucial to securing the €67 billion bailout from the EU and IMF.

However, Fianna Fail and its Green party coalition partners are facing a motion of no confidence lodged by the Labour party, which is due to take place on Tuesday when parliament next sits.

Enda Kenny, leader of the main Fine Gael opposition party, told reporters earlier yesterday that his party would be supporting the motion to oust the government, saying: “I want them out.”

Cowen has been under pressure for months over his handling of the debt crisis which has brought the Irish economy to its knees and forced it to accept international loans in November.

He survived a confidence vote in his party last Tuesday sparked by a leadership challenge by foreign minister Micheal Martin, who subsequently resigned and is now likely to be a frontrunner to succeed Cowen as Fianna Fail leader.

But he came unstuck when he tried to use Martin’s resignation and the seemingly coordinated resignations of five other ministers to promote rising stars in his party to help boost their chances in the elections.

The move went down badly with the Green party, who said they would not support any new reappointments, and Cowen was forced to reassign the six portfolios to other members of the cabinet in a humiliating climbdown.

Fianna Fail chairman John Browne said that a provisional date of Wednesday had been set for the leadership election, saying Martin, finance minister Brian Lenihan and ex-tourism minister Mary Hanafin were likely contenders.

However, the opposition Labour and Sinn Fein parties called for immediate elections to be called.

“It is simply not tenable for Mr Cowen to remain on as ‘taoiseach’ as his colleagues in Fianna Fail squabble over the remnants of their party,” Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said.

Speaking at a hastily convened press conference, Cowen said he was “concerned that renewed internal criticism of my leadership of Fianna Fail is deflecting attention” from the important choices facing Ireland.

He added: “My intention now is to concentrate fully on government business and on continuing to implement the recovery plan.

“My decision will allow the Fianna Fail parliamentary party to elect a new leader to contest the general election and ensure the party fights that campaign in a united and determined manner, free from internal distractions.”

Fianna Fail is expected to receive a hammering in the election from voters angry at its handling of the economy.

A Red C poll earlier this month showed public support for Cowen was at 10 per cent, while just 14 per cent of voters said they would back Fianna Fail.