By Padraic Halpin
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish deputy prime minister Eamon Gilmore faced calls from members of his junior government Labour party to quit as its leader on Monday, in a move that could destabilise the coalition following a major election setback.
Eight members of Labour's parliamentary party, representing almost a fifth of the grouping, submitted a motion of no confidence in Gilmore's leadership after its support collapsed at weekend local and European elections. Gilmore was to make a statement at 1500 GMT following a meeting with his ministers, Labour said.
The party rebels asked for the motion to be raised at its weekly party meeting on Wednesday, two of the signatories told Reuters.
"I expect that it won't come to that. I think Eamon is a decent man and I think he will walk," Michael McNamara said.
Labour went into government for the first time since the late 1990s three years ago on a promise to end the previous administration's adherence to "Frankfurt's Way", an austerity plan the party said was dictated by the European Central Bank.
However the centre-left party has angered supporters by pursuing the tough austerity required under an EU/IMF bailout that ended last year and it captured just 7 percent of seats in the local polls, compared with 19 percent at parliamentary elections three years ago.
The party was also on course for a wipeout in elections for the European Parliament as counting continued on Monday. It won three of the 12 seats on offer five years ago.
Gilmore's cabinet colleagues expressed confidence in his leadership over the weekend but analysts said the calibre of the young MPs opposing him could give him no choice but to stand down.
"It looks like curtains really, these (the rebels) are serious people and there are enough of them. I just can't see him surviving," said Eoin O'Malley, politics lecturer in Dublin City University. "It will destabilise things, no doubt. A new leader is going to be under pressure to be continuously seen to be fighting. I'd say you'll see more crises in the future if Gilmore goes."
(Editing by Alison Williams)
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