The Progressive Democrats president and former TD, Tom Parlon, has emerged as the clear favourite to take over as PD leader after Mary Harney firmly ruled out seeking the post for the second time, writes Miriam Donohoe, Political Staff
The PD national executive will decide tomorrow on a change in party rules to allow for a member not elected to the Dáil to be chosen as leader, paving the way for Mr Parlon, who lost his seat in the Laois-Offaly constituency in the general election.
Ms Harney, who took over as interim leader after Michael McDowell stepped down when he lost his seat, said yesterday she and the second PD TD returned to the Dáil, Noel Grealish, were not interested in the job.
It is now widely thought within party circles that Mr Parlon, a former leader of the Irish Farmers Association, may be the only nominee for leader. He and Fiona O'Malley, who lost her seat in Dún Laoghaire, are expected to receive the two Seanad nominations the PDs will earn for supporting the new Government.
Mr Parlon could not be contacted last night but party sources said he was the "hot tip" to take the top job and that he was very keen.
In an RTÉ interview yesterday Ms Harney said she would urge the party at its national executive meeting tomorrow and its general council meeting on Sunday to alter rules to allow the next leader to come from outside the "Dáil party".
Ms Harney, who retained her Minister for Health portfolio and who resigned as leader last September, confirmed that the PDs will get two of the Taoiseach's 11 Seanad nominations. She said who gets them was up to the new leader.
Ruling herself out of the leadership race, she said: "I do not believe in going back. I did it for 13 years and I will give every help to the new leader. Leading a party is not something I have on my agenda. I want to spearhead changes in the health system in Ireland. I want us to have achieved the kind of changes that's on the agenda and I cannot achieve that as leader."
She said the party needs to pick someone "new and innovative" and the challenge for the PDs is to think deeply about the future. "We have two deputies and clearly that is a very disappointing result but we have 6,000 members, we have county councillors and we will have two Senate seats."
Last night the PD general secretary, John Higgins, told The Irish Times that Section 16 (10) of the party constitution empowers the national executive to change the rules. In his view if these changes are agreed a leadership contest could take place "very quickly".
However, Fiona O'Malley, a daughter of party co-founder and first leader Des O'Malley, said it would be better to wait until the autumn for a leadership change.
She told The Irish Times she "did not think" she would be interested in the leadership and said she had not yet given much thought to the possibility of a Seanad nomination.