McAleese gets campaign underway

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese’s campaign team will seek individual and corporate donations to raise funding for the possible presidential election.

President McAleese can spend up to E1.3 million, but she has personally indicated to aides that she does not want to see her election expenditure reaching anywhere near that amount.

Today, Mrs McAleese's campaign headquarters will open and official planning for the prospective election on October 22 will begin.

Her private staff special adviser Eileen Gleeson, personal assistant Gráinne Mooney and projects co-ordinator Mari Kennedy will move from Áras an Uachtaráin to a Dublin city centre office today to prepare for the campaign starting date of October 1 when nominations close.

That core team is expected to be joined by an impressive array of experienced party strategists from across the political spectrum, including former Fianna Fáil general secretary Pat Farrell.

The Green Party is citing a lack of funding as an obstacle to running its Dublin South TD Eamon Ryan and the Labour Party is indicating the priority for its resources is next year's by-elections.

But Mrs McAleese is not likely to have any problem raising funds, even without the direct assistance of Fianna Fáil or any other party.

Her supporters include influential millionaire businessmen Martin Naughton, the Glen Dimplex chairman and a member of the Council of State, and Irish Greyhound Board chairman Pascal Taggart.

Yesterday, she staunchly defended her record against accusations of trumpeting the Celtic Tiger abroad, while claiming to represent the marginalised at home.

After Mrs McAleese re-nominated herself for another term yesterday, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats both backed her and Fine Gael said it would not oppose her.

The Green Party will raise the issue of Mr Ryan's candidacy with the party's national executive at the weekend, while Labour is to discuss the presidency today at its parliamentary party seminar in Wicklow.