Ahern re-elected as prime minister of Ireland

DUBLIN: Bertie Ahern, who has led Ireland for a decade, has secured re-election as prime minister for a third term, winning parliamentary support for a broadly based coalition that he said would ensure a stable government for the next five years.

The re-election Thursday was a personal and political triumph for Ahern. In deal-making since national elections on May 24, he allied his centrist Fianna Fail Party with legislators from both the left-leaning Green Party and the right-of-center Progressive Democrats.

For the first time, the Green Party will get cabinet posts in an Irish government. The Progressive Democrats, who governed with Fianna Fail for the past 10 years, will have a much reduced role in the new coalition, having lost seats in the national election.

Ahern secured 89 votes in the 166-seat chamber, with the support of 78 members of Fianna Fail, 6 Greens, 2 Progressive Democrats and 3 of the 5 independents.

In his new cabinet, the Green Party received two ministries: one concerning the environment and the other concerning energy, natural resources and communications.

Green Party leaders said Ahern had made concessions on issues like climate change, education and changes in local governance to get them to join his coalition.

Speaking before the vote, Ahern, 55, said it had taken "a long three weeks" to put together the government. He has said he will step down from politics around his 60th birthday.

Richard Sinnott, professor of political science at University College Dublin, said Ahern had managed to secure a very stable coalition with prospects of lasting out five more years.

"If the Greens or Progressive Democrats pull out, he will have other supporters," Sinnott predicted.

In his acceptance speech in Parliament, Ahern referred to "unprecedented prosperity" of recent years that followed the "hardship and emigration" of previous decades.

He also referred to the "new relations" that led to the start of a local government in Northern Ireland last month that shares power between former bitter foes. Since 1997, Ahern has worked with Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain to help secure peace accords in Northern Ireland.

Source : www.iht.com