The Taoiseach's special adviser, Dr Martin Mansergh, last night succeeded in getting a nomination to stand for Fianna Fáil in South Tipperary at the next general election.
Dr Mansergh reached the quota in the second round. He got 52 first-preference votes at the party's constituency selection convention in Cahir last night.
Minister of State Mr Noel Davern was nominated on the first count, obtaining 97 first preferences, comfortably over the quota of 63 votes. Dr Mansergh got 24 of Mr Davern's transfers, while county councillor Mr Barry O'Brien got 10, to bring him to 46 votes.
Dr Mansergh, who comes from Tipperary town, was unsuccessful in an attempt to be selected at a convention in the constituency in November 1982.
Fianna Fáil holds just one seat in the constituency. Two years ago Mr Seamus Healy, of the Workers and Unemployed Action Group (WUAG), was elected in a by-election.
The constituency's other TD is Mr Tom Hayes of Fine Gael who was elected in last year's by-election.
Last night's convention was the second-last Fianna Fáil convention to be held before the election is held in May. The final one will be in the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern's constituency of Dublin Central on Saturday, February 23rd.
Before the result was announced last night, Dr Mansergh said he was "not over-confident".
He will face a tough battle to win a second seat for the party in a constituency which traditionally has had one Fine Gael seat and where its candidate in the last by-election, Mr Michael Maguire, performed disappointingly against Ms Phil Prendergast of the WUAG.
Coming from Tipperary town, Dr Mansergh would be better positioned geographically to maximise the Fianna Fáil vote, with Mr Davern drawing most of his support from the Clonmel side of the constituency.
Dr Mansergh would cause problems mainly for Mr Hayes, whose home base is nearby in the Cashel area.
In the last general election, Fianna Fáil had 37 per cent of the first-preference vote to Fine Gael's 24 per cent.
Cllr Joe Donovan, of the Lisvernane cumann in the Glen of Aherlow, said that while Dr Mansergh had a high profile nationally, his disadvantage was that he was not that well known on the ground.
"It is the one thing that will mitigate against him," he said.
Cllr Mattie McGrath from Newcastle, outside Cahir, said he had decided not to stand at convention so as to favour Dr Mansergh.
"I was delighted to get a candidate of his calibre", he added.