Adams steps down from Assembly to contest Louth seat
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams will risk his political future and fight for election in the Republic to highlight the battle against its economic crisis, he confirmed today.
In a shock move, he is to resign his West Belfast seats in the Northern Assembly and at Westminster to contest the next General Election south of the border.
As part of a major political gamble he plans to defend the Co Louth seat being vacated by party colleague Arthur Morgan, who last week announced his decision to step down.
Mr Adams confirmed his strategy in a speech to supporters at a republican commemoration in Edentubber in Louth today.
"In the past I have asked people to step forward and to show leadership," he said.
"I have asked people to make a stand. I believe that it is my duty at this critical time to step forward and do what I have asked of others."
He added: "This means that I will be stepping down as an MLA for West Belfast. My replacement will be chosen this week. I am proud and honoured to have represented the people of West Belfast in the Assembly. I will remain as MP until the next Leinster House election."
Mr Adams said: "This is a significant initiative by the Sinn Féin leadership. It is a measure of our determination to provide a real alternative to the consensus for cuts being pushed by the other parties."
He added: "As leader of Sinn Féin, I want to be part of the necessary fight-back against bad economic policies in both parts of this island and for a fair, decent and united society for all the people of Ireland."
Mr Adams said he should have been able to do this as a representative of West Belfast, but said the Irish Government had reneged on a pledge in the 1998 Good Friday peace deal for MLAs to have speaking rights in the Dáil.
"So, as leader of the only all-Ireland party with an all-island mandate I have a choice to make whether to stay in West Belfast, a place that I love, or to seek a mandate in another constituency in the south," he said.
"But after thoughtful consideration, and with the support of colleagues, I have decided to put my name forward for Louth. If elected for this constituency I will work and stay here and travel home when possible."
He paid tribute to the Mr Morgan, whose decision to resign at the next election had presented the opportunity for Mr Adams' new direction.
"Ireland needs political change. We need change in the Dáil. We need more voices that will stand up against the consensus for cuts - more voices that will stand up for ordinary people. We need new politics. We need a political realignment," Mr Adams said.
"A change of government without a change in policies will be worthless."
The Sinn Féin president said his party had been at the forefront of producing change in the North. He said he wanted to provide an alternative to the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour parties in the Republic.
"Whether it is charting a way out of conflict or striving to rebuild the economy, Sinn Féin is about improving the quality of people's lives," he said.
"This must be the guide for the reconstruction of Ireland in the years ahead.
"I intend to lead from the front.
"The people of Ireland face enormous challenges at this time. But we are no mean people and I am confident that with clear-headed leadership and sound economic policies we can rebuild the economy and return prosperity."
Sinn Féin's Arthur Morgan, who currently holds the Dáil seat for Louth, last week announced he is to step down from frontline politics to concentrate on business interests.
But the latest announcement will spark a wider shake-up in the party.
Sinn Féin has five MPs elected in the North, including Mr Adams. It has four members elected to the Dáil.
Mr Adams will relinquish his West Belfast seat at the Stormont Assembly within days and plans to also resign the Westminster seat he holds for the same constituency, as soon as a General Election is called in the Republic.
The Sinn Féin president is a native of west Belfast and his entire political career has been interwoven with his roots in the area.
The 62-year-old has written extensively about his west Belfast background and during the worst years of the Troubles it served as his political base.
He is not the first northern politician to move south of the border, and his party already has elected representatives across the island.
However, he is breaking new ground as a party leader. His decision will come as a shock to the Irish political world and represents a major gamble for the Sinn Féin president and his party.
There will now be intense speculation in Belfast as to who might fill his vacant post at the Assembly and who might also seek to replace him at Westminster. Commentators have previously noted that he has no natural successor in the West Belfast constituency.
The Adams move also seems at odds with the direction of Sinn Féin developments in the Republic over recent years. The strategy has appeared to be one of raising the profile of younger republicans who are based in the south.
Media observers in the Republic have claimed that despite Mr Adams' often high approval ratings in the state as a party leader, the role of the Belfast politician in the south has only served to underline the impression among some voters that Sinn Féin is a "northern party".
Sinn Féin is the narrow favourite to win the Donegal South West by-election on November 25 after its candidate, Senator Pearse Doherty, went to court to force the under-pressure Fianna Fáil-led Government to fill the long-standing vacancy.
Meanwhile, polls have repeatedly suggested that the Labour Party is poised to be the main left-wing political beneficiary of public disquiet over the economic crisis gripping the Republic. But Sinn Féin has said it hopes to make gains in the next General Election.
Sinn Féin has topped the poll, emerging as the largest party, in the North's last two elections.
Today's announcement signals the beginning of a new high-risk strategy to boost its standing south of the Irish border.
