Election set to be most expensive ever

A massive €20m spend by political parties and independent candidates will make it the most expensive ever general election battle in the country.

As Taoiseach Bertie Ahern fired the starter pistol, teams of party workers were already erecting posters along the highways and byways of the state's constituencies.

Fianna Fáil has fielded the most Dáil hopefuls and is expected to allocate a war chest of to €10m for its campaign followed by Fine Gael on €4.3m.

The Labour Party will spread its €1.5m fund among 50 candidates aiming to get elected to the Dáil.

The Progressive Democrats have not disclosed how much the party will spend, but it raised tens of thousands of euro in recent fundraisers and it invested the most money per candidate in 2002.

The Greens and Sinn Féin are likely to limit their official spending to around the €750,000 mark.

The 14 outgoing independent TDs and some other single-issue candidates could also spend up to €30,000 each on their individual campaigns.

Under new rules, candidates are individually allowed to spend €30,150 in a three-seat constituency, €37,650 in a four-seater and €45,200 in a five-seater.

Unsuccessful TDs are also entitled to be reimbursed €6,000 if they reach a quarter of the constituency quota in the election.

Professor Michael March of Trinity College said it will be "shoe leather" and not euro notes that will win the election, however.

The politics expert explained: "All parties would like to spend more money than they have to spend. However, the candidate that spends the most is not necessarily guaranteed to get elected.

"Look at what happened to Royston Brady of Fianna Fáil in the European elections in 2004 [Brady was defeated]."

"At the end of the day, there is nothing more effective than face-to-face contact with would-be voters on doorsteps - and that costs nothing, only time."

Prof Gallagher is currently researching a definitive study on the behaviour of Irish voters in general elections.

The money raised by political parties and Independents will go into running election bases and placing TV, radio and newspaper advertisements as well as printing and distributing posters and flyers.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are also known to have financed extensive private polling in constituencies and hired the assistance of US and UK public affairs consultants.

All parties receive limited state funding and must raise the remainder from golf classics as well as lunches, dinners and raffles.