Defeated FF candidates rally round Martin

The three failed Fianna Fáil leadership candidates today rallied around Micheál Martin claiming he would be an energetic and capable leader.

Tourism and Enterprise Minister Mary Hanafin, who was eliminated with 10 votes after the first count, suggested the former Foreign Affairs Minister would be a better communicator than Brian Cowen.

“I think he’ll be a very energetic and committed leader. He’s a person of very strong values,” Ms Hanafin said.

“I think Micheál will use (communication) opportunities better and I think he will appreciate the importance now of actually getting a message across to a wider audience.”

Ms Hanafin said she was “really happy” with the result, and that she had contested the leadership, adding Mr Martin was the frontrunner from the outset.

She denied her decision not to declare her hand publicly during the confidence motion in Mr Cowen affected her result.

Social Protection and Defence Minister Eamon O Cuiv, who came second in the secret ballot with 22 votes, said Mr Cowen and Mr Martin were two very different people.

“Every leader has their own style,” Mr O Cuiv said.

“Micheál is a very outgoing person, I think he will be a very, very good performer in the media.”

Mr O Cuiv, who aspired to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and Fianna Fáil founder Eamon De Valera, paid tribute to Mr Cowen.

“He’s a fantastic Taoiseach as far as I’m concerned. He took very, very hard decisions.

“He did things that were highly unpopular, but he did them because he honestly believed that the national interest into the future was served by those decisions.”

The Minister said he stood on his own merits and was not in the shadow of his grandfather.

“I never mentioned my grandfather once in this campaign,” Mr O’ Cuiv said.

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, who secured 18 votes, described Mr Martin as a highly capable and experienced politician.

“He has, of course, my complete support as the party leader,” Mr Lenihan said.

“Fianna Fáil will now unite behind the new leader and bring our case to the people.”