Fianna Fáil has not carried out recent opinion poll research, the Taoiseach Mr Ahern said yesterday, in response to a newspaper report that the party's fortunes have dipped disastrously.
Speaking in Dublin, Mr Ahern said the latest research highlighting the party's standing was carried out by The Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll.
However, Mr Ahern and other senior party figures are deeply worried that Fianna Fáil could suffer a heavy defeat in next year's local elections.
The Taoiseach has been deeply involved recently in organising the list of Fianna Fáil candidates for the local elections.
"He is more involved than any leader before has been," one Fianna Fáil TD told The Irish Times yesterday.
Mr Ahern has warned local organisations that all candidates must be selected by September, or headquarters will complete the task.
All selected candidates have been ordered to begin their campaigns. "The hope is that people will start knocking on doors straight away.
"If they are good candidates, with a strong local profile, the hope is that they will buck any national trend and get elected despite the party flag," the TD added.
Mr Ahern yesterday sought to play down unhappiness with the economic downturn. "We are doing better than anyone else in Europe. Our job every day, day by day, is to keep on working to try to be sure that we can have sustainable development in this country," he said.
The Government is "very conscious" of the impact of recent job losses, Mr Ahern said. "I don't think we should try all the time to look at all the negative things. And I don't think it is your job either," he told journalists.
Meanwhile, the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, said there would be more people working in the Republic at the end of the year than in January 2003.
Questioned about Fianna Fáil's standing, Ms Harney said Mr Ahern has been "an outstanding and successful leader for the party".
"He was the first Taoiseach in over 30 years to be re-elected. Circumstances have changed over the last 12 months as they have changed over the entire world. We are still doing extremely well," she said.
"There are pressures. We have had job losses. And there will be more. There are pressures on the economy. But there are good stories as well, for both foreign and indigenous companies."
