Pressure rises for Irish premier to quit over police scandal

Published February 16, 2017

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny faces mounting pressure from party colleagues to resign over his stumbling response to a police scandal.

Lawmakers in Kenny's Fine Gael party say their 65-year-old leader could be ousted next week if he doesn't voluntarily specify a resignation date.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan, a key Kenny ally, said Thursday that the turmoil makes a 2017 election more likely.

Opposition leaders accuse Kenny's weak minority government of failing to defend a whistleblower exposing corruption in Ireland's police force. Documents published this month suggest a government agency helped senior officers circulate malicious gossip that falsely branded the whistleblower as a pedophile.

Kenny, Ireland's leader since 2011, has faced withering criticism over his gaffe-prone defense of government actions.

Kenny's 9-month-old coalition government survived a parliamentary confidence vote Wednesday.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/pressure-rises-for-irish-premier-to-quit-over-police-scandal