Irish premier Brian Cowen has won a confidence vote in his
leadership of the ruling Fianna Fail party.
The vote was held following a debate among Fianna Fail
members of parliament this evening.
Mr Cowen's leadership has been opposed by Foreign Minister
Micheal Martin, who has left the government following the
ballot.
The Taoiseach has been under pressure because of falling
opinion poll ratings in the wake of the EU and IMF bail out.
Speaking to RTE after the vote, Mr Cowen said he was very
pleased that his desire to continue in his post had been
vindicated by the secret ballot.
He has been subject to press scrutiny following revelations
about contacts with former head of Anglo Irish Bank Sean
Fitzpatrick shortly before he announced a bank guarantee in
2008.
He made a statement on the issue to the Dail last week,
stressing that he had done nothing wrong.
He later pledged to consult with party colleagues about his
future for 48 hours, a process that culminated on Sunday
evening when he told a press conference he wished to lead
the party into a general election.
The voting figures for the ballot have not been released but
Mr Cowen needed to secure at least 36 of the 71 votes to win.
His position is now likely to be secure until a spring election.
"The party is very determined to face the electoral contest,
very proud that we have done what is necessary for the
country," Mr Cowen said.
He added that he would now accept Mr Martin's decision to
resign but said that the relationship between them would
remain strong.
Mr Martin said he was disappointed with the outcome but that
he was now looking forward to a vigorous general election
campaign.
He added: "The debate is over. I abide by the outcome of
that and I am now prepared to work alongside my party
colleagues."
Fianna Fail's opinion poll ratings have fallen to 14% after
the coalition government was forced to accept the bailout at
the end of last year.