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Charles Kennedy steps down
07/01/2006 18:24 - (SA)
London - The leader of Britain's opposition Liberal Democrats resigned under heavy pressure from the party on Saturday, days after he acknowledged battling a drinking problem.
Charles Kennedy initially resisted stepping down despite calls from nearly half of the party's lawmakers for him to resign, saying the Liberal Democrats' rank and file still backed him.
He changed course on Saturday, saying he was resigning effective immediately and would not run in the leadership elections he announced on Thursday.
"In all of this, the interests of our party have got to come first, that's where my personal, my political and my constitutional duty lies," Kennedy said at a media conference at the Liberal Democrats' headquarters in central London.
He urged that the party, Britain's third largest, maintain its most important priorities: "Civil liberties, justice and the rule of international law, Britain again seen as a force for good in the world."
Divisive contest
Dissatisfaction with Kennedy's leadership had been simmering for months and increased sharply after the Conservatives boosted their fortunes by electing a charismatic young leader last month.
Kennedy, 46, acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that he had sought medical help for his heavy drinking and called a leadership election in which he initially said he planned to run.
But many of the left-leaning party's 62 lawmakers expressed worry at the prospect of such a divisive contest and urged Kennedy to step down soon and bring the party's crisis to a quick resolution.
Kennedy's opposition to the war in Iraq, and his relaxed, amiable style had made him a popular and respected politician.
He steered the party through a successful national election earlier this year and boosted its tally of lawmakers in the 646-seat House of Commons from 55 to 62.
But some members of the party believed his leadership has been weak and ineffectual and that he lacked the charisma and drive to challenge Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The pressure on Kennedy had intensified since the selection last month of David Cameron, 39, as leader of the main opposition Conservative Party. Young, dynamic and a skilled communicator, Cameron has reinvigorated the party and already boosted its poll ratings.
Kennedy was panned by the British media during the election campaign after he appeared confused about his party's taxation policies during a news conference. He blamed his bleary-eyed performance on lack of sleep after the recent birth of his son.
- AP
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