Govt obstructing presidential poll - Dana

The Government has deliberately obstructed the presidential election, presidential hopeful Dana Rosemary Scallon claimed tonight.

The former MEP failed to get a nomination today from Mayo Co Council because the environment minister had not yet signed an order for the October 22 election.

Ms Scallon said the minister’s actions had made it impossible for some local authorities and extremely difficult for others to give her a nomination because they couldn’t legally move a motion.

She said: “This is a ridiculous situation. The whole country knows the date of the election.

“I think it is a deliberate obstruction.

“It just seems that the political establishment wants to hold onto the presidency at any cost, even though the presidency belongs to the people of Ireland.”

A spokesman for Minister Martin Cullen said the order was not signed last week because under the Constitution it can only be done during the final 60 days of the presidency.

He said the minister is now expected to sign the order “some time this week” as that 60-day period will have begun.

The Fine Gael group in Mayo Co Council said they could not legally bring a motion before the council today because the ministerial order had not signed an order for the date of polling.

Ms Scallon needs the support of four Co Councils to join the race for the presidency.

She secured the approval of six local authorities before her unsuccessful bid for the Aras in 1997.

The battle for the presidency gained momentum earlier today as two other contenders confirmed they were set to challenge Mary McAleese.

But as a born-again Christian and a Green Party TD threw their hats into the ring, speculation mounted that their chances of securing enough backing to join the race were slim.

All candidates need the backing of four county councils or 20 members of the Oireachtas before they can stand.

A Green Party spokesman admitted it would be a “difficult task” to get 20 signatures in support of Dublin South TD Eamonn Ryan.

“It’s not going to be easy but we believe people should have a choice,” he said.

“If there is an election, it is crucial the public are offered different options so as to make an informed decision.”

In light of Fine Gael and Labour’s recent coalition, Green party support could only strengthen their potential as an alternative Government.

If Labour announce, as expected, it will not be running a candidate, all three parties could be free to back Mr Ryan.

This in turn would damage the chances of Ms Scallon, who ended weeks of speculation when she confirmed she had written to every county council seeking their backing.

“As an independent with limited resources you fight as hard as you can to make sure the establishment does not control everything,” she said. “I will re-mortgage my house if I have to.”

The Galway-based candidate is looking to secure the backing of Clare, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Kerry County Councils.

Meanwhile independent TD Finian McGrath confirmed he was talking to two potential candidates.

“One is very serious but all I can confirm at the moment is that he’s a member of the Oireachtas,” he said.

“There are talks going on between independent TDs and Senators.”

Kevin Lee, a 69-year-old from Sligo, is also seeking nomination. The retired care-giver and Christian radical said he was frustrated to arrive back in Ireland after 15 years in Arizona and be greeted by what he termed “endless political scandal”.

“I believe in giving people a choice,” he said. “Choice to me is about value and values are about moral and ethical behaviour.

“There is a negative attitude out there that this election is not going to happen and that Mary McAleese is unbeatable and that’s nonsense.”

The Labour party will discuss the possibility of putting forward a candidate at its parliamentary meeting in Wexford this week. The decision will be announced on Thursday.

The closing date for nominations is October 1. Mrs McAleese is expected to confirm tomorrow morning that she will stand for a second seven-year term.