Final manoeuvring as parties prepare for election
Final manoeuvring by political parties ahead of the general election was nearing completion in Dublin today.
Both Sinn Fein - aiming to pick up more seats than ever before - and the Labour Party, aiming to restore their parliamentary strength of a decade ago, were staging major pre-poll events in Dublin.
The developments followed annual conferences held by the other main political forces over the past month.
Expectations are that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will move within weeks to declare an election for early May after completing his stewardship at the head of Ireland’s longest peacetime administration.
Mr Ahern secured power in 1997, at the head of a minority government formed by Fianna Fail, backed by the Progressive Democrats, and shored up by a group of independent members of the Dail.
Against all the odds, Mr Ahern survived in the face of a lack of parliamentary numbers, and presided over the key years of the now-diminishing Celtic Tiger economic boom years.
Now he has to pick the correct date to maximise his bid for a new mandate.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was today set to address all of his party’s election candidates and activists at a rally-conference in a central Dublin hotel, outlining some of his strategy for the poll in the process.
The event was going ahead against a background of continuing speculation that the IRA might soon announce a new arms commissioning development - something that could only boost the electoral prospects of their Sinn Fein allies.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Sinn Fein vice-president Pat Doherty, one of the party figures to show the way for colleagues in the Republic by winning a Westminster seat in Northern Ireland in last year’s United Kingdom general election, said: ‘‘Mr Adams will set out our unique political vision and the goals and targets we have set for ourselves.
‘‘The event is an important stage in our overall campaign and comes at a time when people across the island are concentrating on negative campaigning against Sinn Fein.’’
That comment was a clear reference to alleged harassment by the authorities against Sinn Fein in Co Kerry, where the party want to snatch a seat after a strong pre-electoral showing by one-time IRA activist Martin Ferris.
Mr Ferris and leading Sinn Fein officials have all been held for questioning by gardai in recent weeks about alleged vigilante activities aimed at drugs traders in the constituency.
The Labour Party is today staging its conference at Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
Leader and former finance minister Ruairi Quinn is due to deliver his keynote address at the end of a day-long meeting.
