"would go forward with his no-confidence motion on Wednesday, 26 January 2011. Opposition Leader Enda Kenny also announced that if Cowen did not ask President Mary McAleese for an immediate dissolution of the Dáil, his own party would table a no-confidence motion in the Taoiseach on Tuesday, ahead of Labour's motion. Then, on Sunday the 23rd, less than 24 hours after Cowen announced his resignation, the Greens tore up the coalition agreement and resigned from the government. Cowen accepted their resignations. This left Cowen at the head of a minority government, with seven Ministers (the absolute minimum mandated by the"
"Fáil on 9 April 2008, and assumed office upon Ahern's resignation becoming effective on 6 May 2008. On 7 May 2008, Cowen was nominated by Dáil Éireann as Taoiseach, by 88 votes to 76, and was formally appointed by President of Ireland Mary McAleese. On 22 January 2011, despite winning a secret confidence motion the week before, Cowen announced he was stepping down as leader, in advance of the 2011 election, in order to put the party in ""the best possible position"". Upon appointment, Cowen formed the 28th Government of Ireland, a reshuffled coalition between Fianna Fáil, the Greens, the"
"Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 2008 to 2011, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011, Minister for Foreign Affairs from January 2011 to March 2011 and 2000 to 2004, Minister for Defence from February 2011 to March 2011, Tánaiste from 2007 to 2008, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2002 to 2008, Minister for Finance from 2004 to 2008, Minister for Health and Children from 1997 to 2000, Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications from 1993 to 1994, Minister for Energy in January"
"The Government announced that an election would take place in Spring 2011 but the intended date had to be brought forward to 25 February 2011 following a widely criticised cabinet reshuffle. Taoiseach Cowen was replaced as party leader by Micheál Martin. At the election, Fianna Fáil received 17% of the vote and their seats collapsed from 71 outgoing to a record low of 20. The Fine Gael and Labour opposition secured record seat gains but no overall majority and formed a coalition government. Ireland officially declared it was in a recession in September 2008. Before this declaration, the Irish government"
"later rejoined the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in April 2008. Ministers are listed in order of seniority. The 28th Government of Ireland (7 May 2008 – 9 March 2011) was formed following the resignation of Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach on 6 May 2008 and the subsequent election of Brian Cowen as Ireland's 12th head of government. It was initially composed of Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats and supported by independent TDs Jackie Healy-Rae, Michael Lowry and Finian McGrath. McGrath later withdrew his support in October 2008. Following the disbandment of the Progressive Democrats in 2009, it became"
"hero's welcome at a victory reception on 30 October at Eyre Square, Galway; approximately 5,000 people turned out to welcome him home. 2011 Irish presidential election The Irish presidential election of 2011 was the thirteenth presidential election to be held in Ireland, and was contested by a record seven candidates. It was held on Thursday, 27 October 2011. The election was held to elect a successor to Mary McAleese, with the winner to be inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland on 11 November 2011. Two constitutional referendums and a by-election for a vacant Dáil seat in the Dublin West"
"On 18 January 2011, Brian Cowen accepted his resignation as Foreign Minister. On 26 January 2011, Fianna Fáil announced that Micheál Martin had been elected as the eighth leader of the party, following Cowen's resignation as party leader four days previously. In the 2011 general election, Martin led the party to its worst showing in its 85-year history, with a loss of 57 seats and a drop in its share of the popular vote to 17.4%. In the 2016 general election, Fianna Fáil's performance improved significantly, more than doubling their Dáil representation to 44 seats from 20 in 2011. Born"
"form a coalition government with Kenny as Taoiseach and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore as Tánaiste, with Labour being given four other seats in cabinet. Kenny said that his first priority upon taking office will be to renegotiate the bailout, calling the original deal ""a bad deal for Ireland and a bad deal for Europe"". The members of the 31st Dáil convened for the first time on 9 March 2011, the Dáil elected Kenny as Taoiseach by a vote of 117–27. Kenny received his seal of office from President Mary McAleese. He also announced ministerial appointees to his Government on 9"
"1993 and Minister for Labour from 1992 to 1993. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011. He became leader of Fianna Fáil upon the resignation of Bertie Ahern. On 7 May 2008, following the resignation of Ahern as Taoiseach, Cowen was nominated by Dáil Éireann to replace him and was appointed by the President later that day. His administration coincided with the Irish financial and banking crises. He has received substantial criticism for his failure to stem the tide of either crisis, ultimately culminating in his government's formal request for financial rescue from the"
"government with Fine Gael. Her remarks prompted Mary Cowen, wife of former Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, to publicly comment that Micheal Martin should ""watch his back"" around Hanafin. The spat continued with Hanafin claiming Mary Cowen's remarks were inappropriate. In the 2016 general election Hanafin failed to regain a seat in the Dáil, finishing fifth in the four-seat Dún Laoghaire constituency. Mary Hanafin Mary Kathleen Hanafin (born 1 June 1959) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport from 2010 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister"
"2011 Irish general election The Irish general election of 2011 took place on Friday 25 February to elect 166 Teachtaí Dála across 43 constituencies to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, the Oireachtas. The Dáil was dissolved and the general election called by President Mary McAleese on 1 February, at the request of Taoiseach Brian Cowen. The electorate was given the task of choosing the members of the 31st Dáil, who met on 9 March 2011 to nominate a Taoiseach and ratify the ministers of the Government of the 31st Dáil. Cowen had previously announced on 20 January"
"2011 Irish presidential election The Irish presidential election of 2011 was the thirteenth presidential election to be held in Ireland, and was contested by a record seven candidates. It was held on Thursday, 27 October 2011. The election was held to elect a successor to Mary McAleese, with the winner to be inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland on 11 November 2011. Two constitutional referendums and a by-election for a vacant Dáil seat in the Dublin West constituency took place on the same day. The seven candidates were Mary Davis, Seán Gallagher, Michael D. Higgins, Martin McGuinness, Gay Mitchell,"
"these new positions. McCarthy was close to Taoiseach Brian Cowen on Partnership and other issues and often accompanies him on official engagements in Ireland. In April 2011 after the 2011 General Election it was announced that McCarthy intended to step down a few months ahead of schedule as part of a major reorganisation of the Civil Service. He also announced the Government had decided to create a new post of second secretary in the Department of the Taoiseach to support the Economic Management Council established by the Coalition. He was succeed by Martin Fraser on 1 August 2011. Dermot McCarthy"
"2011 Fianna Fáil leadership election The 2011 Fianna Fáil leadership election was called by party leader Brian Cowen on 22 January 2011, when he announced that he was resigning as president and leader of the party. He remained as Taoiseach until after the 2011 general election. The deadline for nominations closed at 1 p.m. on 24 January, and the new leader was elected at a special Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting on 26 January. Micheál Martin was elected as the party's eighth leader. Only TDs who were members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party were eligible to vote. Jimmy Devins"
"Cowen asked President McAleese to dissolve the Dáil on Tuesday, 1 February 2011; the request was duly granted. Cowen subsequently confirmed that the general election would be brought forward to 25 February 2011. Cowen also announced that he would not contest his Dáil seat. He said he would retire from politics, after 27 years. The pent-up resentment at Cowen's government resulted in a debacle for Fianna Fáil at the general election. The party suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government in the history of the Irish state, falling to only 20 seats for third place—the first time since 1927"
"Government of Ireland was formed following the resignation of Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach on 6 May 2008 and the subsequent appointment of Brian Cowen as Taoiseach on 7 May 2008. Ministers of State of the 30th Dáil On 14 June 2007, the 27th Government of Ireland was elected by Dáil Éireann following nomination by the Taoiseach, and then appointed by the President. The Fianna Fáil–Green Party–Progressive Democrats coalition was led by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. On that day Ahern announced to the Dáil that he had re-appointed Tom Kitt, TD to the post of Minister for State at the Department"
"prime minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. In October 2011 the Labour Party's candidate, Michael D. Higgins was elected as the 9th President of Ireland. On the same day, Labour's Patrick Nulty won the Dublin West by-election, making the Labour Party the first government party in Ireland to win a by-election since 1982. Labour lost seven parliamentary members over the course of the 31st Dáil. On 15 November 2011 Willie Penrose resigned over the closure of an army barracks in his constituency. On 1 December 2011 Tommy Broughan lost the party whip after voting against the government in"
"absolute discretion in some areas, such as referring a bill to the Supreme Court for a judgment on its constitutionality. Michael D. Higgins became the ninth President of Ireland on 11 November 2011. The ' (Prime Minister) serves as the head of government and is appointed by the President upon the nomination of the . Most ' have served as the leader of the political party that gains the most seats in national elections. It has become customary for coalitions to form a government, as there has not been a single-party government since 1989. Leo Varadkar succeeded Enda Kenny as"
"to that point the most sensational political scandal in the history of Ireland. Fianna Fáil, already at a record low 14% approval rating, slid in the wake of the botched reshuffle to 8%. Faced with a fractured coalition, rebellion within his own party, and an acknowledged public relations disaster, Cowen announced his resignation as leader of Fianna Fáil on 22 January 2011. He insisted, however, that he would continue as Taoiseach, until the election, in order to complete legislation for the 2011 budget. The resignation did not quell the consequences of Cowen’s actions. Labour leader Eamon Gilmore announced that he"
"in 2002. Subsequently, in 2004, he was appointed Minister for Finance, seen as an almost mandatory position for any aspiring Taoiseach. Following the 2007 general election, Cowen became Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) in a reshuffled coalition between Fianna Fáil, the PDs, and the Green Party. On 4 April 2008, two days after Ahern announced his intention to resign as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil, Cowen was nominated by Brian Lenihan and Mary Coughlan to be his successor. The following day he was confirmed as the sole nominee for the position. He was acclaimed as the seventh leader of Fianna"
"of these posts and contest the next Irish general election in order to contest the Louth constituency vacated by Arthur Morgan. A number of election candidates were given formal warnings not to place election posters until the date had been announced. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin stated that they would not rule out supporting a minority Fine Gael government if their policies were in line with Fianna Fáil's programme for economic recovery. On 31 January 2011 Martin named Mary Hanafin as the new deputy leader, while the government chief whip John Curran was named as justice spokesman. Barry Andrews was"
"his party's position for the election. However, the junior coalition partner, the Green Party, expressed outrage that they had not been consulted about the reshuffle. The Greens accordingly refused to endorse Cowen's intended replacements, forcing Cowen to reassign the vacant portfolios to incumbent Ministers. The Green Party also threatened to pull out of the government unless Cowen set a firm date for the general election; Cowen subsequently announced it would take place on 11 March 2011. When Cowen addressed the Dáil to announce the reshuffle, the Green Party were absent and had not taken their seats in the Dáil that"
"Taoiseach, Brian Cowen. The event became a source of controversy in the 2011 presidential election as to whether Gallagher was specifically requesting, and collecting, cheques, or whether they were voluntary. In 2009, Gallagher campaigned, and was successfully elected to the National Executive of Fianna Fáil representing the Louth branch. On 5 January 2011, he formally resigned from the National Executive. Gallagher had also resigned from his local Louth Fianna Fáil Ravensdale Cummann in March 2010. In May 2011, it was reported that Gallagher would likely seek a nomination in the 2011 Irish presidential election. In June 2011, it was reported"
"this was John A. Costello, who was not leader of his party, but an agreed choice to head the government, because the other parties refused to accept then Fine Gael leader Richard Mulcahy as Taoiseach. In 2010 Taoiseach Brian Cowen, in the midst of highly unpopular spending cuts after the global financial crash, maintained his position as Taoiseach until new elections, but stood down as leader of Fianna Fáil and allowed Micheál Martin (who had resigned in protest at the way Cowen responded to the crises) to succeed him. Before the enactment of the 1937 Constitution, the head of government"
"was the fall of the Cowen government and a shattering defeat for Fianna Fáil in the Irish general election, 2011, in which the party won just 17% of the vote and retained only 20 out of its 71 seats in the Dáil. Emigration from Ireland has again picked up and many remain anxious about the economic future. The official position of the Irish state, as laid out in the 1937 constitution, was that the territory of the state comprised the whole island of Ireland, but that its laws applied only to the territory of the Free State, as outlined in"
"the then chair of Anglo-Irish Bank before the controversial bank bailout ""The Fitzpatrick Tapes"". In January 2011, 6 cabinet ministers resigned within a matter of days. Brian Cowen's attempt to promote junior ministers into the cabinet was blocked by the Green Party and Cowen conceded the election date for March 11. Following the botched reshuffle, rebellion within his own party, and an acknowledged public relations disaster, Cowen announced his resignation as leader of Fianna Fáil on 22 January 2011. He insisted, however, that he would continue as Taoiseach until the election, in order to complete legislation for the 2011 budget."
"that the election would be held on 11 March, and that after the 2011 budget had been passed he would seek a dissolution of the 30th Dáil by the President. However, the Green Party, the junior party in coalition government with Cowen's Fianna Fáil, withdrew from government on 23 January, stating that they would support only a truncated finance bill from the opposition benches in order to force an earlier election. On 24 January, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan Jnr reached an agreement with the opposition in Dáil Éireann to complete all stages of passing the finance bill, in both houses"
"European Union and the International Monetary Fund, widely seen in Ireland as a national humiliation. Cowen's leadership saw public support for Fianna Fáil plunge to record lows, as well as the lowest public support on record for both a sitting Irish government and a sitting Taoiseach. With approval at 8 percent, by the time the 30th Dáil was dissolved, he was the least popular incumbent politician in the history of Irish opinion polling. In January 2011, following a failed and highly controversial attempt at a cabinet reshuffle and facing growing political pressure, Cowen resigned as leader of Fianna Fáil, but"
"and Ruairi Quinn (Lab). Following a vote, John O'Donoghue was elected to this position. The position of Taoiseach was contested by Bertie Ahern (FF) and Enda Kenny (FG). Following a vote Bertie Ahern was elected to this position, making it his third consecutive term in office. On 7 May 2008, Brian Cowen was elected Taoiseach in place of Ahern, who had resigned. Séamus Kirk was elected Ceann Comhairle on 13 October 2009 following the resignation of O'Donoghue. Government coalition parties are denoted by ""●"". This is a graphical comparison of party strengths in the 30th Dáil from January 2011, shortly"
"independents as well as the Fine Gael and Labour parties, while Fianna Fáil abstained on the vote. Under the terms of the deal, Gilmore became Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Labour have four other ministries. 2011 Irish general election The Irish general election of 2011 took place on Friday 25 February to elect 166 Teachtaí Dála across 43 constituencies to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, the Oireachtas. The Dáil was dissolved and the general election called by President Mary McAleese on 1 February, at the request of Taoiseach Brian Cowen. The electorate was"
"Nasheed, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Wen Jiabao. According to ""TheJournal.ie"", Cowen was ""the least popular incumbent in the history of [Irish] opinion polling,"" with approval between 8 and 10 percent of the electorate. As of January 2011, Fianna Fáil's popularity had fallen to a record low and was tied with Sinn Féin on 14% in joint third place. Cowen became a leader of Fianna Fáil and Taoiseach without ever facing an election in either capacity. Under his stewardship of the country, his party Fianna Fáil, saw its electoral support base diminished by 75% in the general election of February 2011, as"
"the coalition unless Cowen set a firm date for an election due that spring. He ultimately set the date for 11 March. On 23 January 2011, the Green Party met with Cowen following his resignation as leader of senior coalition partner Fianna Fáil the previous afternoon. The Green Party then announced it was breaking off the coalition and going into opposition with immediate effect. Green Party leader John Gormley said at a press conference announcing the withdrawal: The government ministerial posts of Gormley and Ryan were reassigned to Fianna Fáil ministers Éamon Ó Cuív and Pat Carey respectively. Green Ministers"
"leadership of the party. He offered to resign as Minister for Foreign Affairs, but his resignation was initially refused by Cowen. Following the result of the motion, which Cowen won, the resignation was accepted. On 22 January 2011, just days after winning a vote of confidence, Brian Cowen announced that he was stepping down as leader of Fianna Fáil, but would remain as Taoiseach. On a special RTÉ News programme that day, a number of Fianna Fáil TDs came on the air and publicly backed Martin for the leadership. Later that evening, Martin formally announced his intention to seek support"