Ireland's prime minister resigns as leader of his party two months before the election

The taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland, Brian Cowen, has today resigned as leader of his surprise party, Fianna Fáil, but will remain as head of government. Cowen had passed on Tuesday a confidence motion submitted by him for the party to endorse his leadership, but his personal position was further weakened on Thursday after trying to force a crisis of government to introduce new faces in the Executive with a view to future elections.

Chain following the resignation of five ministers in a move apparently orchestrated by him, was forced to turn back and leave without fill those vacancies, distributing the portfolios among the remaining members of the Government. Cowen was then forced against their will to set March 11 as date for early elections, three years and three months before the end of the legislature.

Despite the resignation of Cowen is expected to remain the date for March 11 elections, partly because of the reluctance to call the Irish to vote in the winter but especially to leave approved budgets and legislation the accompanying primary to implement the rescue plan agreed in November with the European Union and the IMF.

The Fianna Fáil expected to elect a new leader immediately, within a week. The big favorite today is former Foreign Minister Michael Martin, who resigned Cowen to announce the vote of confidence Tuesday to vote against the prime minister without the contradiction of continuing in government.

That maneuver may end up being decisive to oust another traditional applicants, the Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, who decided on Tuesday to vote for the ratification of Cowen as taoiseach and has health problems. Tourism Minister, Mary Hanafin, is another of the contenders for the party leadership but their prospects have weakened because despite appeals from the past for Brian Cowen's resignation, on Tuesday refused to declare publicly whether he would vote for or against him and did not have the courage to resign as he had done Martin.

Despite his tenacity and his speech, Cowen is one of the most unpopular prime ministers in recent history of Ireland because of the economic and financial crisis in the country for three years. The Fianna Fáil, which has ruled for 20 of the last 23 years, is on the ground in the polls. In the past, voter turnout had fallen to 14% and is in danger of being exceeded not by its traditional rival, Fine Gael and Labour, but also by the Sinn Féin.

In a press conference in Dublin, Cowen has said it has decided to resign without pressure from other leaders of the party and after consulting with his wife, Mary, and other members of his family. "I want the party is in the best conditions to fight the next election," he said.

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