The President, Mrs McAleese, is poised to secure an unopposed second term as President after attempts to nominate Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon to contest an election collapsed in six county councils yesterday. Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent, reports.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors nearly all followed their party lines yesterday, ensuring the defeat of motions to nominate Ms Scallon at Kerry, Longford, Monaghan and North Tipperary County Councils.
Kilkenny County Council also rejected a request from Ms Scallon to hold a special meeting on the issue, with not one councillor proposing that one be held. And Offaly Council voted unanimously against a special meeting on a nomination for Dana.
While Ms Scallon vowed last night to fight on, nine councils have now rejected her approaches. Galway, Mayo and Roscommon County Councils had already voted not to nominate her before yesterday's batch of rejections.
A determined effort by Fine Gael headquarters to prevent Ms Scallon's entry into the race in the past few days was central to yesterday's decisions.
Since late last week the party general secretary, Mr Tom Curran, has been contacting individual councillors on local authorities which were considering supporting Ms Scallon and telling them that to support her nomination was contrary to party policy. While some councillors expressed anger at the intervention of headquarters almost all obeyed the instruction.
Just one Fine Gael councillor in Longford abstained on the vote to reject the nomination attempt. Three Fine Gael members in Kerry voted with the defeated nomination motion. Two Fianna Fáil councillors in Kerry also voted with the motion, but with few exceptions Fianna Fáil councillors have been voting against putting Ms Scallon into the field.
Carlow County Council became the latest to attract Fine Gael's attention yesterday after it emerged that it was considering a special meeting to allow a debate on nominating her. Party whips on the council were meeting last night amid speculation that they too would not facilitate Ms Scallon. However, Fine Gael headquarters contacted a number of Carlow councillors yesterday and one Fine Gael councillor, Mr Declan Alcock, who suggested on Sunday that the council would be supportive of the nomination attempt, acknowledged yesterday that he "wouldn't be as enthusiastic about it today".
Ms Scallon claimed last night that Fine Gael's action was undemocratic, and accused it of "stamping on the rights of its own councillors". However, senior Fine Gael election strategist Mr Phil Hogan yesterday rejected the charge, saying Ms Scallon was a political opponent of Fine Gael who had fought four elections against his party. She was opposed to Fine Gael's position on Europe and "has nothing in common with Fine Gael".
A heritage campaigner Mr Vincent Salafia who has been involved in several legal challenges to the M50 motorway at Carrickmines Castle announced yesterday that he is to seek a presidential nomination.