MONTEVIDEO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Uruguayan Interior Minister Daisy Tourne resigned on Friday due to public controversy aroused after she insulted members from the ruling party and the opposition.

    "I must recognize that my passion overwhelmed me," Tourne told a press conference, referring to the remarks she made earlier at a local TV.

    "I cannot be by any means an obstacle nor an excuse to affect the management of the best government this country has had," she said.

    On Wednesday, Tourne called "ass" the leader of the opposition Colorado Party and former Vice President Luis Hierro.

    Earlier Friday, opposition leaders demanded Tourne's resignation.

    "She does not have the right to talk with bad words. By her self she confirmed what we say: she is not prepared for the charge," Hierro said.

    The controversy came 23 days before the parties' internal elections to choose presidential candidates for the national elections in October.

    Tourne has been frequently criticized by the opposition since she took office in March 2007.

    In January she was involved in another scandal when she published a picture of her taking a shower on the Internet.

    Transport and Public Works Minister Victor Rossi will take her post temporarily, local media said.