19/01/2011 11:33
Brian Cowen wins confidence vote to remain Fianna Fáil leader
The beleaguered Irish Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, won a confidence vote in his leadership and will head his Fianna Fáil party in the Republic's forthcoming general election, The Guardian reports.
The party's chief whip announced shortly after 9pm that Cowen had seen off a leadership challenge which, had he lost, would have plunged the Republic into an earlier than expected general election.
No official figure was given as to how many Fianna Fáil members of parliament backed Cowen but his position as leader of the party had been bolstered earlier today when the country's Finance Minister confirmed he would be supporting him.
A total of 71 Fianna Fail members of the Irish parliament were entitled to vote on Cowen's future.