Ireland's Sinn Fein under further pressure as lawmakers quit

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's main opposition party Sinn Fein was under pressure on Monday following the resignation of a senior lawmaker, the latest internal controversy that could further hurt its dimming hopes at a general election that may be held within weeks.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Brian Stanley became the second of its 35 members of the lower house to quit in the space of a week, keeping the party's internal procedures in the headlines at a time it is desperate to regain some momentum ahead of the election.

The former political wing of the Irish Republican Army's ambitions of governing on both sides of the Irish border have waned over the last year and it saw a commanding three-year opinion poll lead in the Republic of Ireland collapse at local council elections in June.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, whose Fine Gael party has moved ahead in opinion polls since he took over in April, must call a national election by March but most analysts see November as the most likely date following this month's giveaway budget.

One of Sinn Fein's longest serving lawmakers, Stanley quit over an internal inquiry conducted into a complaint made against him. Sinn Fein rejected Stanley's criticisms over the process and said the undisclosed matter had been passed onto the police.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT

The resignations follow a separate recent controversy over the party's handling of a former press officer who pleaded guilty last month to child sex offences in Northern Ireland, where Sinn Fein is the leading member of the power-sharing government.

The man was suspended by Sinn Fein after his arrest in 2021 but two fellow press officers subsequently provided references that allowed him to gain employment elsewhere, something Sinn Fein said they were unaware of until media reports last month.

The press officers quit after Sinn Fein started an internal inquiry. McDonald apologised and has pledged to overhaul the party's governance procedures.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin, additional reporting by Amanda Ferguson in Belfast; Editing by Alex Richardson)