Bertie Ahern: I will not stand in Irish elections

Ireland's former prime minister Bertie Ahern confirmed tonight that he will not be standing in the Republic's forthcoming election. Ahern, who was Tony Blair's key partner in the run-up to the Good Friday and St Andrews agreements, made his comments at a meeting of his local Fianna Fáil branch in central Dublin. The former taoiseach said: "It was always my plan, and a plan I made clear as long ago as 2002, that I would step down from Dáil Éireann [the Irish parliament] before I was 60. This evening I have come here … to say that remains my unalterable position. "With an election due in the spring and my next birthday, in September, being my 60th, I want to confirm tonight that I will not be a candidate at the next general election." The election is expected to be held in March with Fianna Fáil bracing itself for historic losses. Ahern rejected the notion that the Republic is now an economic basket case given the recent fiscal crisis which resulted in the IMF and EU bailing the country out. He said: "Ireland is not 'banjaxed'. Ireland is not 'an economic corpse'. Ireland is a country of real achievement and, yes, of real and pressing problems. The truth is that our country will recover. We will regain our stride and we will succeed in holding onto many of the gains we have made together. "And the next generation will build on our success and they will learn from our mistakes. It is not just that life will go on; I believe that life will get better. We are an innovative, we are a resilient and we are an achieving people." In his speech, Ahern also praised Blair for his role in the Northern Ireland peace process.