The President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Wilfried Martens, congratulated today Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny for his sweeping victory in Ireland’s parliamentary elections. Fine Gael scored 36.1% of the first preference vote and is expected to win at least 76 seats. Fine Gael (FG) is a founding party of the EPP and FG leader Enda Kenny is a two-term Vice President of the EPP.

"I would like to warmly congratulate my good friend Enda Kenny for Fine Gael’s historic victory. At a moment of great economic difficulty in Ireland, voters chose a completely new political direction, after the disastrous FF (liberal) governments of recent years," the EPP President stressed.

"Enda Kenny’s strong leadership and solid European experience as EPP Vice President, will finally get Ireland working again. I look forward to welcoming Taoiseach-elect Enda Kenny at the March 4th EPP Summit in Helsinki and congratulating him for becoming EPP’s 15th head of government in the European Union," President Martens added.

ENDS

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The EPP is the largest and most influential European-level political party of the centre-right, which currently includes 75 member-parties from 39 countries, the Presidents of the European Commission, European Council, and European Parliament, 15 EU and 6 non-EU heads of state and government, 13 members of the European Commission and the largest Group in the European Parliament.

For more information:
Kostas Sasmatzoglou, Spokesman, Tel: +32-2-2854147
Javier Jiménez, Senior Press and Communication Officer, Tel: +32-475480446