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Brendan Howlin becomes Ireland's new Labor Party leader

Xinhua, May 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

Brendan Howlin was elected unopposed on Friday as Labor Party leader after another candidate Alan Kelly failed to secure the required backing for a leadership contest.

Howlin was first elected to the Dail Eireann, lower house of Irish parliament in 1987. He served as minister for public expenditure and reform in the last government.

He has twice contested the leadership of the Labor Party, losing out to Ruairi Quinn and Pat Rabbitte, who both are veteran Labor politicians.

Howlin replaces Joan Burton, who resigned after the Labor Party took a serious thumping in this year's general election. The party won seven seats, just securing the party's speaking rights in the Dail Eireann.

The party had 33 seats when the 31th Dail Eireann dissolved in February this year. In 2011, it formed a coalition government with Fine Gael (United Ireland Party).

Fine Gael secured 50 seats, only six ahead of its main rival Fianna Fail (Republican Party). It formed a minority government with independent TDs (members of parliament), with Enda Kenny being reelected as Taoiseach (prime minister). Enditem