Seven set to bid for party leadership
More than a quarter of the parliamentary strength of the Labour Party are set to contest the leadership following the resignation of former minister Ruairi Quinn.
Mr Quinn, 56, quit yesterday after failing to make an anticipated breakthrough for Labour in last May’s general election.
Instead, Mr Quinn emerged from the poll with the same 21-strong membership of the Dail as at the start of the campaign - only some of the personnel were changed.
His departure will signal the first direct election by rank-and-file supporters of a political party leader following a rule change - and the outcome, which will be announced after the counting of postal votes cast by 3,600 paid-up members - is regarded as unpredictable.
Tonight as many as seven members of the party in the Dail were in the frame to take over from Mr Quinn.
He has headed the party since Labour lost a share of power in 1997 after being in a coalition government for the previous five years.
But the number of likely runners seemed certain to shrink ahead of the close of nominations for the October succession tussle in three weeks’ time.
The early favourite will with the bookmakers is current deputy leader, Brendan Howlin, 46.
Two former members of the Democratic Left party that merged with Labour four years ago, one-time junior ministers, Eamon Gilmore, 47, and Pat Rabbitte, 53, are also being tipped to be considering entering the race.
Other members refusing to rule themselves out include four women - ex-ministers Joan Burton and Liz McManus, as well as Roisin Shortall and Mary Upton.
It was also believed that party veteran Michael D Higgins, 61, might throw his hat into the leadership ring. Nominations for the posts of both leader and deputy leader open next week.
