Criticism of the hasty manner in which the Fine Gael hierarchy issued notice of its meeting to nominate a presidential candidate has been expressed in the parliamentary party. The former Minister of State, Ms Avril Doyle, and Ms Mary Banotti MEP were yesterday confirmed as the party's only two candidates for the nomination at a meeting which also heard disquiet from a number of TDs at the manner in which the selection procedure was organised.
The leadership had expected that Ms Banotti would be chosen as a matter of formality after members of the parliamentary party were summoned only last Monday to yesterday's meeting. However, in a surprise development, Ms Doyle was also proposed for selection when nominations closed at noon on Wednesday.
One of the two women politicians will, in early September, receive the party nomination to contest the presidency in the election fixed for October 30th.
A vote to keep the nominations open until a later date - which would have allowed other candidates to throw their hats into the ring - was narrowly defeated at yesterday's meeting.
Senior sources in the party said that Ms Doyle had done herself "enormous good" in an address to her party colleagues lasting almost 30 minutes. Ms Banotti also addressed the parliamentary party. Both women were commended by the party leader, Mr John Bruton, as "quality candidates".
It is understood that Fine Gael will undertake research to establish which politician would find most favour among the electorate.
Although Ms Banotti was last night still regarded within the party as the most likely to procure the nomination, senior sources said that the outcome was not clear-cut. There is some resentment among the parliamentary party at what was perceived as an attempt to push Ms Banotti's nomination through with unreasonable haste.
According to Ms Doyle, her decision to contest the election for the nomination was not made at the "last minute". She had spent the past month on the Seanad election campaign and she had agreed to allow her name to go forward as a candidate for the nomination "at the behest of party colleagues".
"When the party decides who shall be their presidential candidate, we will then pitch our case to the public generally. I look forward with confidence to being selected by the party and putting my case to the people of Ireland for selection as President," Ms Doyle said.
Ms Banotti said that the President, Mrs Robinson, had enhanced the office and opened it up to a vast number of people to whom it had previously been irrelevant. She had demonstrated that a woman could "change the face of the Irish Presidency". Another woman would maintain and safeguard what she had done, Ms Banotti added.
Ms Doyle said that she took the view that the electorate should vote for a candidate, "male or female", who could bring vision to the presidency and make it a living symbol, as Mrs Robinson had done. "We need a young, dynamic person with a particular vision who will connect with all of the people. There are many people in our society today who feel disconnected," she added.