As a senior Fianna Fáil Minister publicly endorsed Niall Blaney's admission to the party at the weekend, the row between sections of the organisation in Donegal North East and party headquarters remained unresolved.
Minister for Finance and party deputy leader Brian Cowen attended an autumn school based on the political life of Mr Blaney's uncle, the late Neil T Blaney, in Letterkenny on Saturday.
It was the first time that a Fianna Fáil Minister has spoken at a Blaney-related function since Neil T Blaney founded Independent Fianna Fáil following his expulsion from the party in the aftermath of the 1970 arms crisis.
However, party headquarters has yet to heal the rift which opened with the Letterkenny organisation following Mr Blaney's admission to the party some months ago.
Fianna Fáil TD Dr Jim McDaid told The Irish Times yesterday that the local organisation is still waiting to be told by headquarters if general election candidates will be chosen by way of a selection convention or interview.
"We are in the dark as to what is happening. Our hope is that there will be a convention," he said.
Dr McDaid, a former minister, announced his retirement from politics earlier this year, but changed his mind in the early summer and declared that he would seek a nomination because of the likelihood that there would be no candidate from his Letterkenny base.
"It still remains my intention to stand," he said.
Party headquarters favour a two-candidate strategy, featuring Mr Blaney, from Rossnakill, and sitting Fianna Fáil TD Cecilia Keaveney, from Moville.
Local sources say Dr McDaid is certain to be chosen by a selection convention, leaving the party with three candidates. He topped the poll in the 2002 election.
Following Mr Blaney's admission to the party, Fianna Fáil headquarters said it would carry out local polls to determine whether it should field two or three candidates. Dr McDaid said yesterday the local organisation was unaware of the results of those polls.
Donegal North East will be a fiercely contested constituency.Senator Joe McHugh will be attempting to win back the Fine Gael seat held by Paddy Harte for several years. Mr Harte's son, Jimmy, a local councillor, will run as an Independent. Sinn Féin's Padraig MacLochlainn, who polled 3,611 votes last time, will also be seeking a seat.
