Left-wing parties explore joint candidate for Seanad by-election

Labour leader Ivana Bacik has written to Social Democrats and Green Party chiefs seeking support for an agreed 'left/green woman candidate' following Seán Kyne’s election to Dáil

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said there was a need to ensure 'ensure stronger representation of women, especially now that the proportion of women elected to the Oireachtas has reduced even further'. File picture: Niall Carson/PA

Left-wing parties are exploring a joint candidate to run in an upcoming Seanad by-election after Seán Kyne was elected to the Dáil last weekend.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik wrote to the leaders of the Social Democrats and Green Party, Holly Cairns and Roderic O’Gorman, seeking their co-operation for a possible joint left-wing candidate.

Ms Bacik stated that she wanted to see an “agreed left/green woman candidate”.

She said there was a need to ensure “ensure stronger representation of women, especially now that the proportion of women elected to the Oireachtas has reduced even further”.

This is due to Mr Kyne’s election for Fine Gael in the Galway West by-election, which was held to fill the Dáil seat vacated by Catherine Connolly after she became President.

A by-election for Mr Kyne’s former Seanad seat must be held within six months, with the electorate made up of members of the Oireachtas.

While Labour has only sought the co-operation of the Social Democrats and Green Party, Ms Cairns has written to all left-wing parties, including Sinn Féin and People Before Profit, about running a joint candidate.

“Given the voting pool is extremely small for the Seanad by-election, and the need to try to maximise the chances of a progressive candidate winning the seat, Holly Cairns has written to the leaders of all of the parties on the Left — Sinn Féin, Labour, the Green Party, and PBP/S — to suggest a meeting so they can agree a unity candidate,” a Social Democrats spokesperson said.

They said Ms Cairns had discussed the matter with the Seanad Civil Engagement Group, adding that this was how contact with other party leaders had arisen.

A spokesperson for the Green Party said Mr O’Gorman would be happy to go along to any meeting on the matter.

They added that he would be proposing Janet Horner, the party’s candidate in the Dublin Central by-election, at any such meeting.

People Before Profit’s Richard Boyd Barrett said his party would be happy to go along to the meeting and was “open” to the possibility of a joint candidate.

“It’s just a pity we didn’t have this more formally in the by-election and I hope we could have it in a general election,” Mr Boyd Barrett said.