Brian Cowen: “I have taken, on my own counsel, the decision to step down” Irish PM Brian Cowen has said he is stepping down as leader of the ruling Fianna Fail party but will continue to run the government until the general election on 11 March.
Mr Cowen told a news conference in Dublin that the focus of the election should be policy and not personality.
He won a secret ballot on his leadership on Tuesday but has since faced renewed pressure.
Mr Cowen has seen his ratings plummet amid Ireland’s economic crisis
Its economy was given a bail-out package by the EU and IMF last year.
Mr Cowen said he had “deep affection” for the men and women who worked for Fianna Fail and wanted it to be in the best possible position to fight the election campaign.
“At this crucial time the focus should be on policies of parties and not on personalities,” he said.
Mr Cowen said that following Tuesday’s secret ballot, “renewed criticism had deflected attention” and it was therefore right for him to step down as party leader.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.