The Progressive Democrats are expected to put strong pressure on Mr Michael McDowell to remain active within the party despite the fact that he has ruled himself out of the running for a Taoiseach's nomination to the Seanad. Mr Ahern will nominate four PD senators when he names his 11 nominees next month as part of the deal which saw the PDs withdrawing from the Seanad elections to support Fianna Fail candidates. Mr McDowell, who lost his Dail seat in Dublin South East in the general election, would be a certainty for the PD list, which will be drawn up by the Tanaiste and party leader, Ms Harney, but he has made it clear that he is not interested.
The PDs want the Seanad to be abolished and Mr McDowell, who is seen as an intensely ideological politician, would not be happy with a nomination. He also turned down a Seanad seat when he previously lost his Dail seat in 1989. However, Ms Harney and her colleagues will attempt to persuade him to retain a high profile in the party, with the aim of returning to the Dail at the next election.
Mr McDowell is seen as a key player in the party's attempts to rebuild its electoral base. Following his Dail defeat after a marathon count, Mr McDowell, who is a barrister, indicated that he would be leaving active politics, adding: "I look forward to a private life and hope, whatever I do, I will be of equal service to the community."
However, when he was defeated in 1989, he also contemplated leaving active politics, but then changed his mind and emerged as the party's political conscience when it went into government with Fianna Fail.
Mr McDowell is known to be disappointed at losing the seat he first won in 1987. His defeat this year deprived him of an opportunity of fulfilling his long-held ambition to be Attorney General.
Meanwhile, there is likely to be intensive lobbying of Mr Ahern and Ms Harney for Seanad places. Mr Ahern may appoint a prominent individual from Northern Ireland, from politics or elsewhere, depending on the progress of the peace process, but his main aim will be to maximise his party's chances of winning extra seats at the next general election.
Those in the running are likely to include defeated TDs Mr M.J. Nolan, from Carlow-Kilkenny, who also failed to win a Seanad seat, and Mr Seamus Hughes, who lost his Dail seat in the new Mayo five-seat constituency; Ms Ann Leonard, daughter of a long-serving TD, Mr Jimmy Leonard, who lost out in Cavan-Monaghan; and Ms Margaret Forde, an unsuccessful candidate in Sligo-Leitrim. Mr Tom Fitzgerald, the party whip in the last Seanad, who was seen as an effective senator who enjoyed cross-party popularity, is also likely to be a contender.
Electoral considerations will also dominate Ms Harney's choices, given the party's need to increase is current Dail representation of four TDs at the next election.
The outgoing senator, Mr John Dardis, who contested Kildare South in the general election, is almost certain to be on the list, while others in the running will be the party's other outgoing senator, Ms Cathy Honan, an unsuccessful Dail candidate in Laois-Offaly; defeated TDs Ms Helen Keogh (Dun Laoghaire) and Ms Mairin Quill (Cork North Central); Ms Mairead Foley, who contested Dublin North East in the general election; and Mr Joe Burke, who stood in Galway East.
The 11 nominations will give the Government a total of 34 seats, a majority of eight over the combined Opposition total of 26. In the Seanad election, the final counts of which concluded early on Saturday, Fianna Fail won 23 seats, an increase of five. Fine Gael held its 16 seats and the Labour Party won four, a loss of one. Six Independents were elected to the National University of Ireland (NUI) and University of Dublin panels.
