Attorney-General Michael McDowell is to stand for the Progressive Democrats at the forthcoming general election. Mr McDowell is also to be appointed to the newly-created post of party president.
Mr McDowell will stand in Dublin South East, where he previously served the constituency as Progressive Democrat TD.
He narrowly lost his seat in 1997 when Mr John Gormley of the Green Party secured the last of the four seats after one of the longest recounts in history. Mr McDowell lost by just 27 votes and subsequently resigned from the party.
It is the second general election coup in as many days for the PDs after the former Irish Farmer’s Association president Mr Tom Parlon’s agreed to run for the party in the Laois-Offaly.
Following his defeat in 1997, Mr McDowell said he hoped to serve once again in a public capacity saying: "whatever I do, I will be of equal service to the community".
He fulfilled that wish in 1999 when he succeeded Mr David Byrne as Attorney General. Mr Byrne left the position to become EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection.
In an ironic euro-twist, Mr McDowell was instrumental in getting the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, elected leader of the PDs ahead of the new President of the European Parliament, Mr Pat Cox.
Ms Harney, evidently did not forget the support. After what had been a poor election showing for the PDs in the 1997 election, Ms Harney said she would do everything in her power to persuade him to run for election again.
However despite prolonged attempts, she appeared to admit defeat in May of last year saying she did not expect Mr McDowell to respond to the party’s overtures.
Optimism over the PDs chances at the next general election inspired by the decision of Mr Parlon to pick the PDs ahead of Fine Gael, may have contributed to the Attorney General’s decision.