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Irish Premier Cowen wins confidence vote


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Irish Premier Cowen wins confidence vote

2011-01-19 13:19:48 GMT+7 (ICT)

BELFAST, IRELAND (BNO NEWS) -- Ireland's Prime Minister Brian Cowen on Tuesday won a confidence vote which was held after a minister questioned his judgment, BBC Ireland reported.

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan accused Cowen of lapses of judgment. In addition, Foreign Minister Micheal Martin blamed the premier for Ireland's banking crisis which resulted in a multi-billion bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Martin was Cowen's ally but publicly turned against him on Sunday after he declared that he will vote to overturn. Despite the opposition that Cowen faced, he secured his position as leader of his party until a parliamentary election.

Cowen, the least popular Irish leader in recent times, won the secret ballot among Fianna Fail lawmakers. The exact vote count is unknown but Cowen needed at least 36 of the 71 votes to be ratified.

Cowen previously expressed his confidence over the confidence vote. He said that after the vote the matter of his leadership abilities will be put to rest. Cowen was severely criticized after Ireland accepted the €85 billion ($113.7 billion) bailout.

Fianna Fail MPs dominate the Irish coalition government. The party has been at the helm of Ireland for 53 years of its 84-year history. A landslide defeat was expected in Fianna Fail MPs' secret vote but Cowen won the endorsement of many officials, including Transport Minister Noel Dempsey.

Last December, the Irish government unveiled its 2011 budget in which savage cuts were made due to the economic and financial difficulties of the nation. The budget cuts were made in order to secure the EU-IMF bailout.

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-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-01-19

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