Micheál Martin has been elected the new leader of Fianna Fáil.
A delighted Micheál Martin described his election as leader as a great honour. He succeeds Brian Cowen, to become the eighth leader of the Fianna Fáil party. He beat contenders Brian Lenihan, Mary Hanafin and Éamon Ó Cuív with a commanding majority.
Commenting on the result of the vote, Brian Lenihan said,
We have a new leader and we're uniting behind him.
All three other candidates were happy with how they performed and will get behind the democratically elected leader.
At a news conference following his election as leader, Micheál Martin apologised for the past mistakes of the party and that he himself made as a minister. He said lessons have been learned.
With a general election to be held on 25 February, Micheál Martin said that this election will have to be different from past elections. The focus will be on party policies and programmes. He is insistent that the days of political patronage within the Fianna Fáil party are over.
His supporters in Leinster House, including Michael Kennedy, Niall Collins and Michael McGrath, paid tribute to Micheál Martin's success based on his experience and communication skills. Michael McGrath said,
He was certainly a clear winner with a very strong level of support from within the parliamentary party.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 26 January 2011. The reporter is David Davin-Power.
