A former president of NUI Galway has been accused of “inappropriately” supporting Aer Arann boss Pádraig Ó Céidigh in the Seanad elections by a leading member of the college’s governing authority.

Fine Gael and Labour have held tentative talks on a voting pact for the Seanad elections.

A leading Fine Gael minister has backed a former Fianna Fáil senator’s bid to be returned to the Upper House.

Labour’s Seanad nominees will be announced today as the party’s votes are counted.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is set to face criticism yet from his own backbenchers when Fine Gael members meet this evening.

Government candidate John McNulty has withdrawn from the race for a Seanad seat, following a controversy over his nomination and appointment to a State board.

The Taoiseach has moved to contain the political fallout from the botched handling of the Seanad by-election after coming under sustained criticism from the Fine Gael backbenches.

The man at the centre of alleged cronyism within Fine Gael is to meet Labour leaders today - amid growing tensions within the coalition.

The appointment to a State board of a little known Donegal politician who failed to be elected in the local elections has creative cronyism written all over it, writes Political Editor Mary Regan

THE debate about abolishing the Seanad reminds me of the Groucho Marx line: “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member.”

Counting in the Seanad Election has ended after the fifth panel of Senators, the Administrative Panel, was filled late this afternoon.

Counting of votes cast in the Seanad election is due to resume at around 10am this morning.

HIGH-PROFILE election casualties Cork South Central’s Deirdre Clune, Kerry South’s Tom Sheahan and Wexford’s Michael D’Arcy are among those nominated by Fine Gael for the upcoming Seanad election.

FIANNA FÁIL last night retained majority control of the Seanad despite the loss of two seats over the course of the four-day count.

The counting of votes in the Seanad election resumes this morning, with 13 seats still to fill on the vocational panels.

Counting in the Seanad elections continues today in Leinster House.

The counting of votes in the Seanad election has begun this afternoon, with 149 candidates vying for 49 seats in the upper house of parliament.

ANGER with planning policies in Kerry is about to boil over, it was claimed yesterday.

BERTIE AHERN has not yet named the ‘temporary’ senators who will replace the four Taoiseach’s nominees in the outgoing Seanad who have been elected to the Dáil.

CITIZENS are rightly concerned that the electoral register for Dáil elections is accurate and fully inclusive. But Government is also responsible for ensuring that elections to the Seanad are fully democratic.

Fianna Fail duo Marian Magennis and Michael Kitt have both been eliminated from the election for seats on the Seanad’s public administration panel.

Fine Gael’s Mary Jackman has become the latest candidate to be eliminated from the Seanad elections for the commercial and industrial panel.

The counting of votes in the Seanad election will resume at 10am in Leinster House.

The counting of votes in the Seanad election is due to begin at 11am today in Leinster House.