 Mr Ahern told a news conference he will resign in May |
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has announced he is to resign in May. Mr Ahern, 56, has been taoiseach since June 1997 and has been a member of the Irish Parliament for 31 years. The announcement comes a day after Mr Ahern began a court challenge to limit the work of a public inquiry probing planning corruption in the 1990s. The tribunal is probing Mr Ahern's personal finances. Mr Ahern has been leader of Fianna Fáil since 1994 and heads the coalition government. Mr Ahern told a news conference he would tender his resignation as both taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader on 6 May. He said: "The priority I put above all others was to work for peace on this island, and I have given all to that cause. "I know in my heart of hearts I have done no wrong and wronged no-one. "My decision is motivated by what is best for the people. It is a personal decision. "I will not allow issues related to my own person to dominate the people and the body politic."  | AHERN'S CAREER 1951: Born in Dublin 1977: First elected to the Dáil 1991-1994: Minister for finance 1994: Becomes Fianna Fáil leader 1997: Becomes taoiseach 2002: Re-elected 2007: Leads Fianna Fáil to third election victory, begins third term as premier |
Mr Ahern said he had nothing to fear from on-going inquiries about his finances at the tribunal into planning corruption. "While I will be the first to admit that I've made mistakes in my life and in my career, one mistake I've never made was to enrich myself by misusing the trust of the people. "I have never received a corrupt payment and I've never done anything to dishonour any office that I've ever held." Mr Ahern will be remembered for his role in the negotiations leading up to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. When the talks at Stormont were in their crucial final stages, he returned from his mother's funeral to rejoin the negotiations. He said on Wednesday: "The Good Friday Agreement now provides the political framework for the island to meet its full political potential." Mr Ahern has been the most successful politician in the Republic of Ireland since Eamon De Valera, winning three elections. He is Ireland's second-longest serving taoiseach. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute to Mr Ahern for his role in the Northern Ireland peace process. Mr Blair said: "Bertie Ahern was a great Taoiseach, a leader for whom I had the greatest respect, admiration and friendship. "He will always be remembered for his crucial role in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland, for transforming relations between Britain and the Irish Republic and for presiding over a sustained period of economic and social advance in Ireland." |