THE FIANNA Fáil subcommittee on the presidential election is to recommend that the party should not field an internal candidate.
The proposal is to come before the 36-member parliamentary party at a meeting in Leinster House tomorrow.
The six-member subcommittee met yesterday for the first time for about 90 minutes to discuss the issue at Leinster House.
There was no official comment afterwards in view of the fact that the matter has to be put before the parliamentary party.
However, unofficial sources said the only member of the subcommittee to argue in favour of putting forward an internal candidate was deputy leader Éamon Ó Cuív.
The meeting was said to have been conducted an a “calm” and “relaxed” atmosphere. It was chaired by Fianna Fáil whip Seán Ó Fearghail and party leader Micheál Martin was in attendance.
It is understood Mr Ó Cuív pointed out, for example, that, without even being a candidate, the party’s Ireland South MEP, Brian Crowley, had scored a 13 per cent rating in an opinion poll – the same as Fine Gael contender Gay Mitchell.
However, other deputies took the view at the meeting that fielding a candidate was an “unrealistic” proposition. The party is short of funds and opinion polls indicate it has little prospect of winning the presidency.
Although no vote was taken, it was clear at the meeting that the other five subcommittee members disagreed with Mr Ó Cuív’s proposed approach.
Other members of the subcommittee are TDs Dara Calleary and Timmy Dooley and Senator Darragh O’Brien.