Paisley to step down as Northern Ireland leader

The 81-year-old Protestant firebrand, who took the reigns in Belfast last year, said he would quit both as chief of the Northern Ireland executive and as head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in May.

"I could go on and on, but I've decided to go," the preacher-turned-politician said. "It's time to move on."

Mr Paisley, who had been under increasing pressure to go from members of his own party, said he planned to stay on as a backbencher in the Stormont assembly.

His announcement came a month ahead of the 10th anniversary of the historic Good Friday Agreement, which signalled an end to three decades of violence in the British province.

'The Troubles' as they became known, left more than 3,000 people dead as Catholic Republicans and Protestant Unionists battled for control of the region.

'End of an era': McGuinness

Mr Paisley, who has shared power with long-time republican foe Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein since last May, was dealt a blow last month by the resignation of his son as a junior minister amid allegations of improper links with a businessman.

Long nicknamed "Dr. No" for his refusal to agree a peace deal, he has been also criticised in recent months over his cosy relationship with Mr McGuinness.

Although the pair have never been seen to shake hands, they are often seen happily together in public.

Mr McGuinness said Mr Paisley's decision to stand down was the "end of an era".

"It is obviously a momentous decision for him and for the political process," McGuinness told Ireland's RTE state radio.

'Decisive' contribution to peace

The prime ministers of Britain and Ireland also paid tribute to Mr Paisley.

Britain's Gordon Brown said he had made "a huge contribution to political life in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom".

Bertie Ahern of Ireland called Paisley's decision to go "a watershed in the history of Ireland."

"He is a giant figure in the history of these islands," Mr Ahern said.

Tony Blair, who as British prime minister oversaw the power-sharing breakthrough, said Paisley's contribution to peace was "decisive".

"In the final analysis, he made it happen. The man famous for saying 'no' will go down in history for saying 'yes',"
Blair said.

Long-term opponent of deal

Before agreeing to share power with Catholic parties, Paisley had spent decades condemning the Catholic Church, which he once reportedly labelled "the whore of Babylon".

He opposed previous British-brokered efforts to end the violence in Northern Ireland.

And when the 1998 Good Friday peace deal ushered in Northern Ireland's assembly, his intransigence led many to write off Mr Paisley, who was against this deal too, as a dinosaur.

But with increasing electoral success in following years, which saw his party become the biggest in the Belfast assembly, came hints of a willingness to compromise.

He finally agreed to share power with his former Sinn Fein foes following the October 2006 St Andrew's Agreement.

DUP deputy leader and Stormont Finance Minister Peter Robinson will be the early favourite to succeed Paisley.