Dana campaign criticises FF promoting of McAleese

Electoral spending: Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon's campaign has claimed electoral spending laws will allow Fianna Fáil to spend heavily in promoting the President, Mrs McAleese in any contest without this being regarded as a donation to the candidate.

The Standards in Public Office Commission told The Irish Times last night that while the Electoral Act set a ceiling of €2,539.48 for individual or corporate donations to presidential candidates, this provision did not apply to political parties.

Spending guidelines based on the legislation, to be published by the Standards in Public Office Commission on Monday, will stipulate that expenses incurred by political parties in promoting a candidate in a presidential election will not be considered as a donation to that candidate.

Money given by political parties to a candidate will, however, be regarded as a donation.

The guidelines will also state that the maximum amount which can be spent by a candidate in the presidential election will be €1.3 million. Spending by political parties in promoting a candidate will be counted as part of this €1.3 million maximum.

The Dana campaign last night criticised the legislation governing spending and maintained that it was not presenting a level playing field for all candidates.

A spokesman for Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon told The Irish Times last night the legislation allowed the political establishment to provide services such as postering or leafleting for its own favoured candidate without this being considered as a donation. The spokesman said that candidates not supported by the political establishment were not treated as favourably.

He said under the legislation services provided by individuals or groups - or anyone who was not a political party - to candidates were considered donations and had a ceiling of €2,539.

A Fianna Fáil spokeswoman said the party had received no specific request for assistance from the Mrs McAleese campaign. She said the Taoiseach had urged Fianna Fáil members to support the re-election of the President.