DUBLIN, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Mary Lou McDonald has officially replaced Gerry Adams to become the president of Sinn Fein, one of the major political parties in Ireland, at a party meeting held here on Saturday, reported local media.
Mary Lou McDonald, a 48-year-old female politician, delivered a policy speech after some 1,500 party delegates officially endorsed an earlier decision announced by her predecessor Gerry Adams to make her as the party's president-elect.
The delegates attending the meeting also highly praised the contribution of Gerry Adams to both the party and the peace process. The 69-year-old Gerry Adams has served as the president of Sinn Fein since 1983.
Founded in 1905, Sinn Fein is the third largest party in terms of the number of the seats it currently holds both in the lower house and the upper house of the parliament in Ireland.
In her Saturday's inaugural speech at the Royal Dublin Society, the Sinn Fein's new chief said that the main target of her party is to win elections, strengthen political influence and realize the party's ambition in government, both in Northern Ireland and Ireland.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Apart from being a major political party in Ireland, Sinn Fein also holds seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Talking about the Northern Ireland issue, Mary Lou McDonald said that her party is committed to "real power-sharing" in Northern Ireland. She said that the talks regarding this are ongoing and Sinn Fein is committed to a positive income.
According to Michelle O'Neill, the newly elected vice president of Sinn Fein who leads the party in Northern Ireland, the talks to restore the power sharing institutions at Northern Ireland Assembly will conclude next week.
On the Irish unity issue, Mary Lou McDonald said that "The war is over. There is no value in engaging in the blame game. We do not have to agree on the past, We must only agree that the past is never again repeated."
Ireland won its independence by fighting a war with the British rulers in the 1920s.
Mary Lou McDonald declared that a new chapter on the road to the Republic has begun.
"We are the generation of republicans who will see the rising of the moon. Sinn Fein in government both North and South," she said.
SOCIAL ISSUES
Regarding social issues, she said that Sinn Fein will campaign enthusiastically for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, which virtually bans abortions in the country.
At the end of last month, the Irish government led by the Fine Gael party decided at a cabinet meeting to hold a referendum for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment by the end of this May or beginning of June.
Sinn Fein's new leader also pledged in her speech that she will fight for a shared prosperity among the public.
Mary Lou McDonald joined Sinn Fein in 1998 after she quitted from Fianna Fail, another major party in Ireland. She is married and has two children. The party she is leading currently holds 23 seats out of the total 158 seats in the more powerful and decision-making lower house of the parliament in Ireland and 27 seats out of the total 90 in Northern Ireland Assembly.
