35 contenders in race for six university seats

University candidates:Graduates have 35 candidates to choose from in the race for six university seats in Seanad Éireann.

There are 24 contenders for three seats on the National University of Ireland panel, while 11 candidates are vying for three seats elected by University of Dublin/Trinity College Dublin graduates. Graduates of other Irish third-level institutions do not have a vote.

On the NUI panel, all three outgoing Senators - businessman Feargal Quinn, trade unionist Joe O'Toole and Labour spokesman on health and foreign affairs in the current Seanad, Brendan Ryan - are running again.

Teachers are a significant bloc in this constituency and, as a former general secretary of the INTO, Mr O'Toole traditionally receives loyal support from this quarter.

He is being challenged by other candidates with teachers' union backgrounds, such as a former president of the ASTI, Bernadine O'Sullivan, and the immediate past president of the TUI, Paddy Healy.

Software engineer John Kennedy is an officially endorsed Fine Gael candidate.

University of Dublin Senators David Norris and Shane Ross are running again, but Dr Mary Henry is standing down and competition for her seat is intense. The probable frontrunner is the Reid professor of criminal law at Trinity, Ivana Bacik, who was a Labour candidate in the last European election but is running as an Independent in this election. This is Prof Bacik's third time to run and she secured the fourth-highest number of first preferences in the last Seanad election in 2002.

Another strong candidate is businessman Seán O'Connor, a grandson of former taoiseach Seán Lemass and nephew of the late Charles J Haughey.

Stressing the need for reform of the Seanad elections, he said: "Only TCD and NUI graduates are entitled to vote. In the 1930s, this covered all Irish graduates but today this covers less than half of Irish graduates."

There are 103,000 electors in the NUI constituency and 48,880 on the University of Dublin register. Ballot papers were due to be sent out to voters last Tuesday by registered post. Ballots must be returned before 11am on Tuesday, July 24th. The count is expected to continue until the early hours of July 25th.