Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern resigns
- added April 2, 2008
- 3 responses
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- sinlung
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Bertie Ahern, the Irish Prime Minister, abruptly announced his resignation today amid controversy over his private financial affairs.
Mr Ahern made the announcement after summoned reporters at short notice to a briefing outside the Dail in Dublin shortly before he was expected to come under fire inside the parliament building. He said that he would step down on May 6.
Mr Ahern won international acclaim for his historic role in the Northern Ireland peace process and, with three straight general election victories, was is widely considered the most successful Taoiseach since independnence.
But his political fortunes have fallen to a new low snce he admitted that his tax affairs were not in order and he has been considered a lame duck in spite of the fact that he still had four years left in office.
Mr Ahern made a huge personal commitment to the search for peace in Northern Ireland. When the historic talks at Stormont were in their crucial final stages in 1998 he was forced to return from his mother’s funeral to rejoin the negotiations.
Tony Blair and Bill Clinton were among the world leaders who praised Mr Ahern’s contribution to securing the Good Friday Agreement.
But in recent years Mr Ahern has been under enormous pressure to explain a series a controversies surrounding his personal finances in the early 1990s. Opposition party leaders were recently demanding clarification about conflicts of evidence at the long-running Mahon Tribunal which is investigating payments to politicians and planning corruption.
Mr Ahern denies any wrong-doing, but the pressure heightened last week when two of the Taoiseach’s ministers in the coalition cabinet - John Gormley, leader of the Green Party, and Progressive Democrats leader Mary Harney - both demanded clarification.
Opposition leaders were expected today to continue to query a conflict of evidence given to a long-running inquiry into allegations of planning corruption.
Mr Ahern made the announcement after summoned reporters at short notice to a briefing outside the Dail in Dublin shortly before he was expected to come under fire inside the parliament building. He said that he would step down on May 6.
Mr Ahern won international acclaim for his historic role in the Northern Ireland peace process and, with three straight general election victories, was is widely considered the most successful Taoiseach since independnence.
But his political fortunes have fallen to a new low snce he admitted that his tax affairs were not in order and he has been considered a lame duck in spite of the fact that he still had four years left in office.
Mr Ahern made a huge personal commitment to the search for peace in Northern Ireland. When the historic talks at Stormont were in their crucial final stages in 1998 he was forced to return from his mother’s funeral to rejoin the negotiations.
Tony Blair and Bill Clinton were among the world leaders who praised Mr Ahern’s contribution to securing the Good Friday Agreement.
But in recent years Mr Ahern has been under enormous pressure to explain a series a controversies surrounding his personal finances in the early 1990s. Opposition party leaders were recently demanding clarification about conflicts of evidence at the long-running Mahon Tribunal which is investigating payments to politicians and planning corruption.
Mr Ahern denies any wrong-doing, but the pressure heightened last week when two of the Taoiseach’s ministers in the coalition cabinet - John Gormley, leader of the Green Party, and Progressive Democrats leader Mary Harney - both demanded clarification.
Opposition leaders were expected today to continue to query a conflict of evidence given to a long-running inquiry into allegations of planning corruption.
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Bertie insists he's never received any corrupt payments. I think it's got more to do with damaging the fragile public opinion of the EU Treaty. Check the link for a video of Ahern's resignation speech.
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- mischabarrett
- 5 months ago
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It must be nice to have a leader exit the scene so gracefully. If we were only so lucky over here!
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The Emerald Isle does happen to be surrounded by a lot of "Whitewater".
Shady financial affairs get you nominated, not indicted in our corrupt political system.
But yes, thank you for doing Ireland and the EU a favor by taking your medicine and avoiding further embarrassment.
You know Bertie, The Empire State could use some new leadership... You'd get the cop vote.
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