Rabbitte remains favourite

Fionnán Sheahan, Political Reporter

The party’s controversial internal appeals process has seen an extra 500 members given votes since the start of the contest.

Party insiders believe the outcome is still too close to call. While Mr Rabbitte remains the bookies’ fancy, Brendan Howlin is the choice of the party establishment. However, Eamon Gilmore is thought to be well in contention. From the outset, Róisín Shortall was the rank outsider in the contest but her transfers will still have a vital impact on the result.

Uniquely among political parties, Labour’s grassroots members will directly elect the new leader and deputy leader of the party. The electorate was originally said to be around 3,500 paid-up members.

But since Ruairi Quinn announced he would be stepping down, an additional 500 members, who were not originally registered with party headquarters, have been granted votes by the party’s Complaints Commission.

Yesterday, a party spokesman said the majority of these members were people who had paid membership fees to their local branch but this money was not passed on to headquarters for some reason. Labour insiders regard the new votes as a major boost for Mr Howlin’s campaign.

Balloting of the party’s members closes at 12 noon tomorrow and the count will begin in the early afternoon by the party auditors, Chapman, Flood Mazars.

The first count should be finished by 5:30pm with a final result expected in the early evening, a party spokesman said yesterday.

The new leader and deputy leader will give their reactions at a press conference when the results have been declared, the spokesman said.

The four candidates for the deputy leader’s position are Joan Burton from Dublin West, Joe Costello from Dublin Central, Liz McManus from Wicklow and Willie Penrose from Westmeath.

Although Mr Penrose is the outstanding favourite for the position, the desire of party members for a gender and geographic balance in the party leadership may tilt the balance in favour of Ms Burton.

All eight candidates have addressed 15 party meetings throughout the country over the past six weeks.

It is believed the new leader is unlikely to radically adjust the composition of the party’s frontbench.