High court to rule on by-election bid

The High Court will rule today on a Sinn Féin lawsuit to try to force the Government to hold the long-awaited by-election in Donegal South West.

The party has taken the issue to judicial review, calling for a date to be set for the vote after a seat in the constituency has lain empty for more than 16 months.

Sinn Féin Senator Pearse Doherty launched the court challenge after the Dáil twice voted down the writ to hold the by-election.

Three other constituencies are also waiting for vacant seats to be filled - Waterford, Dublin South, and Donegal North East – after rebel TD Jim McDaid quit the Dáil yesterday.

Mr McDaid accused the Government of taking political soft options and not tackling the real issues.

He said a general election should have been called before the December Budget.

Sinn Féin has accused the Government of running scared of voters and wasting taxpayers' money in its attempts to prevent the Donegal South West by-election.

The constituency was left a TD short after Pat Gallagher won a seat in Europe in June last year.