Mayo Fine Gael TD Michael Ring said he expected the President would convene the Council of State to examine the constitutionality of the Local Government Bill due before the Dáil before Easter.
Speaking to ireland.comthis morning, Mr Ring, who is considering a constitutional challenge to the Bill, said Mrs Mary McAleese would be obliged to send the Bill to the Supreme Court if the proposal to abolish dual mandates is enforced.
At the moment, sitting TDs have the right to sit on county councils if elected by the people, but under the Local Government 2003, that right will be abolished; candidates for public office will be obliged to choose between sitting on county councils or in the Dáil.
"Every other country in the world is attempting to move from dictatorship to democracy, bar Ireland under Fianna Fáil," Mr Ring said.
"This Bill will severely restrict the power of TDs to address local concerns by the people who elect them. This is effectively a breach of people's right to elect the representative of their choice".
Mr Ring said he believed the reason Fianna Fáil was introducing th Bill was because they knew they'd be "crucified" in the next election and that by separating the two roles they were attempting to distance themselves from responsibly for the neglect of local issues by two successive Fianna Fáil administrations.
Referring to the meeting later today of the Minister for Environment and Local Government, Mr Noel Dempsey, and Fianna Fáil TDs opposed to the Bill, Mr Ring said he [Mr Dempsey] would promise them "the sun, moon and stars to get the bill through the Dáil but . . . none of the promises would be kept".
The Local Government Bill, 2003 published last Friday, will end dual parliamentary/local authority membership from the next local elections in June 2004.
It will also discontinue plans for the introduction then of new arrangements for the direct election of the cathaoirligh of county and city councils.