Gerry Adams to step down as Sinn Fein president

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Gerry Adams has announced he will step down as president of the Irish republican party Sinn Fein next year.

At the annual party conference in Dublin on Saturday, Adams also said that he will not run again for the Dail, the lower house of the Irish parliament.

In a speech to party delegates, the 69-year-old said it was his last annual party conference as leader.

"Leadership means knowing when it is time to change. That time is now," said Adams, who has headed Sinn Fein since 1983.

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams claps as he delivers a speech at his party's annual conference in Dublin, Ireland November 18. /Reuters Photo

"This is my last ard fheis as uachtaran (president) of Sinn Fein. I will ask the incoming ard comhairle (national executive committee) to agree a date in 2018 for a special ard fheis to elect our next uachartaran," said Adams, who received a standing ovation.

"I want to thank everyone who has welcomed me into their homes and communities and who have made me part of countless campaigns, countless elections and countless negotiations."

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency