Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen has announced that he was resigning as leader of his Fianna Fail party, but that he would serve as prime minister until the March 11 general elections. Mr. Cowen's unusual move capped a week of political crisis that brought his coalition government to the verge of collapse. But opposition leaders decried his maneuver and vowed to expel him from power in a no-confidence vote likely to be held next week. Enda Kenny, leader of the main opposition Fine Gael party, said the prime minister's move is ‘another example of putting party before country.’