Libertas Leader Bows Out Of Politics

Declan Ganley has announced he is to "bow out of political life" following defeat at the European Elections.

The leader of the anti-Lisbon Treaty party said he had sought a mandate from the people of the North West but he had failed "the application".

Arriving at the count centre in Castlebar, Mr Ganley said he accepted the people had not given him a mandate to represent them in the European Parliament and that he would play no part in the second Lisbon referendum.

The party was widely accredited with delivering a 'No' vote at the Lisbon Treaty referendum late last year, leading to a delay of the treaty's implementation throughout Europe.

Mr Ganley said: "I don't have any regrets. I think it was the right thing to do, to go and seek a mandate. I think it was appropriate.

"The people of Ireland North West, I applied to them for a job. I didn't pass the application."

In an embarrassing nail in the coffin, the Libertas leader had requested a recheck of ballots in the North West after some of the votes were suspected of being accidentally allocated to other candidates.

However, a recheck found that instead Mr Ganley had been awarded 3,000 extra votes in error, and were promptly reallocated.

(DW/JM)