FG selects McGuinness for East constituency

Fine Gael has selected agricultural journalist Mairéad McGuinness and outgoing MEP Ms Avril Doyle to contest the European election…

Fine Gael has selected agricultural journalist Mairéad McGuinness and outgoing MEP Ms Avril Doyle to contest the European election in the East constituency.

Separately, the party's former deputy leader, Ms Nora Owen, said she would not be seeking a nomination in Dublin.

She said in a statement last night that her position for some time had been that she would not be running for Europe.

Ms Owen's decision leaves two declared candidates in the frame - party official Ms Katherine Meenan and barrister Ms Colm Mac Eochaidh - although the intentions of Dublin TD Mr Gay Mitchell are unclear.

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The party's official spokesman would not comment last night on Mr Mitchell's intentions, but said "we'll have a strong team in Dublin".

Attempts to contact Mr Mitchell were unsuccessful.

Ms Doyle was proposed at a convention in Newbridge, Co Kildare, by Ms Olwyn Enright TD. The former Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, proposed Ms McGuinness.

Cllr Michael O'Dowd, brother of Fine Gael TD Mr Fergus O'Dowd and Irish-American publisher Mr Niall O'Dowd, stood aside from the contest.

Ms McGuinness said last night that she was on leave of absence from Independent Newspapers, where she works as agriculture editor of the Irish Independent.

The candidates will be competing in the three-seat constituency against Mr Liam Alyward and Mr Séamus Kirk of Fianna Fáil, Mr Peter Cassells of Labour, and Ms Mary White of the Greens.

Most voters think the Government should scrap its plan to introduce the electronic voting system in the June elections, according to an opinion poll in the Sunday Business Post.

The telephone poll of 1,006 adults by Red C Research and Marketing found that 58 per cent believed use of the system should be postponed until it was modified to include a paper-based back-up of the electronic vote.

While 41 per cent of respondents were concerned that someone may be able to manipulate the system to tamper with the outcome of the election, 68 per cent said they were happy that the system would accurately record their vote.