Harney sets deadline for stepping down
PD leader Mary Harney has said that she wants to be out of the job by February at the latest.
In her first comment on the timing of her departure from the leadership, she said her sole focus for the future was on reforming the health service.
"Obviously I will continue to assist the party in any way I can. But hopefully the party can now put a mechanism to have a leader in place between now and January-February kind of time-frame." PD Senator Fiona O'Malley is favourite to take over.
Ms Harney, who was opening a clinic in Swords, Dublin, yesterday, said her leadership of the troubled party was an interim arrangement.
She handed over the leadership position to Michael McDowell last year but was forced to take it up again after the PDs' disastrous general election performance.
