Leaders gear up for five-way debate

Leaders of the country’s main political parties were tonight preparing for the first five-way televised debate of the 2011 General Election campaign, with the economy predicted to take centre stage.

The 90-minute debate, to be broadcast live on RTÉ television’s The Front Line programme, will see Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny face off with Micheál Martin of Fianna Fáil, Eamon Gilmore of The Labour Party, Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams and John Gormley of the Greens.

The debate, which will get underway at 9.35pm, is the first in Irish election history to see the leaders of the five main political parties share a stage.

The Fianna Fáil leader said he hopes this debate will help voters decide on the issues and the promises.

“I look forward to tonight’s debate and I hope it can give the opportunity to the party leaders to put their political viewpoints on issues before the people… and to respond to the questions that the public, through the audience, might like to ask,” he said.

There has been criticism of the format of the debate which will only afford leaders a short time to respond to questions and make their points.

Mr Martin has however admitted that the format may be challenging.

“I think the format may be challenging in the sense that there are five participants,” he added. “This has risks attached… in terms of the time that will be allowed to each participant.”

Mr Gilmore, for his part, is going to focus on what he says is a €5bn black hole in the plans of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

“I think they need to tell us what taxes, what cuts they are hiding… because they haven’t spelled out where that €5bn is going to come from.”

But both Mr Martin and Mr Gilmore could go after Mr Kenny, whose abstention from last week’s TV3 debate led to a bounce in the polls.

Mr Kenny has arrived back in Ireland after his visit to Chancellor Merkel in Berlin.

Voters will hear too from the smaller party leaders - Gerry Adams and John Gormley - but each will have a tough task to be heard above the other three.