TAOISEACH BRIAN COWEN will meet with Green Party leader John Gormley today to discuss the date of the forthcoming general election, following his winning of a confidence vote at a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting last night.

Following the conclusion of the Fianna Fáil leadership crisis, the opposition renewed its call for a date to be set for a general election. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, the Deputy Leader of Fine Gael Dr James Reilly said that the people of Ireland should have a say in who should be the next leader of the country as soon as possible.

In the meantime, Cowen will have to decide on who will fill Micheál Martin’s boots, following the former Foreign Affairs Minister’s resignation in response to the leadership vote. The security of Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan’s position may be dented as well today, following claims by other TDs that he “encouraged dissent” within the party – only to publicly express support for Cowen shortly before last night’s vote.

RTÉ reports that Mary Hanafin’s position as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport might also be on shaky ground, following her expression of interest in leading the party in the run-up to the vote.