Hanafin wants to lead proud party

Formally launching her campaign for Fianna Fáil leadership today, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Hanafin said she would "love to lead a party that was renewed, that was new, to have members who felt very proud to admit that they were members".

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, one day after Taoiseach Brian Cowen stepped down from the role, Ms Hanafin said she would "like to lead a party where young people were encouraged, where women were appreciated fully, where we could just involve people all over the country in a new renewal of what is no longer a movement, but what should be a movement."

Questioned about whether the party's TDs would come out and support her publicly, she said Micheál Martin had a lot of public support.

"People came out very quickly and there is absolutely no competition or any animosity between any of us. Micheál Martin, Brian Lenihan and myself particularly because we're all of an age, have been friends forever.

"I'm specifically asking that people will not come out and declare because I don't think that's necessary."

She will be proposed by Minister for Community and Family Affairs Pat Carey and seconded by Tipperary North TD Maire Hoctor.

"I think that's the perfect balance of the Cabinet and the backbench, the urban and the rural, the male and the female. I'm not saying to people please come out and tell me who you're voting for but I think it's important to get the opportunity to state our pitch."

Asked if Fianna Fáil was ready for a female leader, she said she was ready to lead the party if they accepted her.

"This is a party, this is a country that is divided evenly 50:50 male and female. We should never have a situation where the largest political party in the country is presenting a team of four men to contest the leadership."