Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon has urged members of the Oireachtas to support her bid to contest a presidential election against Mrs Mary McAleese.
In a final attempt to revive a campaign that previously concentrated on local authority members, Ms Scallon wrote yesterday to every TD and senator seeking support. She has been backed by Galway City Council but needs support from four councils or 20 Oireachtas members to be nominated to contest an election.
With Labour and the Greens already out of the race and nominations due to close on Friday, Mrs McAleese is now almost certain to be returned to Áras an Uachtaráin unopposed.
Laois County Council will debate a motion to support Ms Scallon at a special meeting tomorrow.
However, Ms Scallon's brother and spokesman, Mr John Brown, said last night that the campaign had not yet persuaded any other councils to arrange special meetings before Friday. "We're still working on it. It may well be difficult. It may well be that the route we've tried to open up today at least will keep it going until October 1st," he said.
Ms Scallon said in her letter that she was not seeking a personal or ideological endorsement from TDs and senators.
