First results of university Seanad election count expected today

The political future of the six outgoing university senators will be decided today when the votes of graduates from the University of Dublin and the National University of Ireland colleges are counted in the Seanad election.

Three senators are elected by the graduates of Trinity College and a further three by those from UCD, UCC, NUI Galway and NUI Maynooth.

Mr David Norris, Mr Shane Ross and Dr Mary Henry are hoping to be re-elected to the Dublin University panel, from a total of 13 candidates. Among them is Ms Rosaleen McDonagh, the first member of the Traveller community to receive a postgraduate degree. Ms McDonagh, who is disabled, is a community development worker.

The Reid Professor of Criminal Law at Trinity College and abortion rights campaigner, Ms Ivana Bacik, is standing for the second time on the Dublin University panel, as is Mr Prabhu Kulkarni, a research chemist.

A battle is expected on the NUI panel between the outgoing independent senator and retired INTO general secretary, Mr Joe O'Toole, and the former ASTI president, Ms Bernadine O'Sullivan. Ms O'Sullivan, a prominent opponent of the benchmarking pay review process, hopes to gather votes from disaffected teachers from all three teaching unions.

Mr Feargal Quinn, the supermarket-chain owner, and Mr Brendan Ryan, a lecturer who stood unsuccessfully in the general election for Labour, are hoping to retain their seats on the NUI panel in a field of 16 candidates.

This includes two candidates from the last Seanad election, the solicitor and human-rights activist, Ms Linda O'Shea Farren, and the director of the Irish Seal Sanctuary, Mr Brendan Price. Candidates include other lawyers, lecturers, a trade union representative, teachers, a community worker and a social researcher.

The Dublin University panel has an electorate of 38,674 graduates while the NUI electorate is 101,952.

The election is conducted by postal ballot and much of the canvassing is also conducted by post. However, the turnout for the university panel election is historically low and was just over one-third of the electorate at the last election.

Counting of votes begins at 11 a.m. for both panels, in the Royal College of Surgeons for the NUI electorate and in Trinity College.

First results are expected late this evening.