Five candidates in contention for two seats

NUI Seanad panel:A recount was called in the NUI Seanad election last night by Independent candidate Dr Valerie Bresnihan when she was about to be eliminated. She was 34 votes behind outgoing Senator Brendan Ryan on the 20th count.

There had been an error in the 19th count when Dr John Hillery was eliminated and the wrong votes were awarded to four candidates. The count was then abandoned until 11am today.

The election was set to go down to the wire all day yesterday with five candidates still in contention for the final two seats. The only certainty was that outgoing Senator Joe O'Toole would be the first elected.

A battle ensued from the first count between first time candidate and surprise success Ronan Mullen and outgoing Senator Feargal Quinn. Mr Mullen, a columnist, lecturer and barrister, who had campaigned on family values remained ahead of Senator Quinn from the outset, attracting transfers from across the field against expectations.

However, by the 19th count the Fianna Fáil endorsed candidate Dr John Hillery transferred significantly to Senator Quinn narrowing the gap. There was a possibility that Mr Quinn would be elected in second place. In the closing stages the contest for the third seat was between Mr Mullen, outgoing Labour Senator, Brendan Ryan, and Independent Dr Valerie Bresnihan.

Dr Bresnihan and Senator Ryan remained neck-and-neck throughout the day. She started the first count, one vote behind Mr Ryan, who was on 3,282 votes and picked up transfers including a "women's vote" following the exclusion of Dr Mary O'Riordan, sister of Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue, and of solicitor Linda Farren O'Shea, who had a disappointing election. Dr Bresnihan pointed out that it was 30 years since a female senator had represented the NUI, Fine Gael's Gemma Hussey.

In the later counts the lead transferred between these two candidates with no clear indication as to which of them would take the third seat.

The level of transfers Mr Mullen attracted surprised other candidates but his director of elections Dr Andrew O'Connell pointed out that "while people were expecting the 'Binchy factor' that after the first count a so-called conservative candidate would not pick up transfers, Ronan Mullen has got transfers from a field that could be considered left-leaning, which indicates that his appeal is far broader than would have been expected".

Brendan Price, founder of the Irish Seal Sanctuary was excluded on the 18th count. He said: "The Oireachtas needs an eco-auditor. It's very sad to see that the combined - what would be seen as the - 'green front' vote was only 8 per cent", for three candidates Mr Price, Martin Hogan and Mark Garavan, a Shell to Sea campaigner.

A five times Seanad candidate, Mr Price expressed his disappointment that "people put such a low priority on the environment".

Mr Garavan was very happy with his own vote but disappointed that the overall environmental vote was low. "For a first-time candidate to come into the campaign in February with no party machine behind me and to hang on until the 13th count and get over 1,000 first preferences, I am very happy."

He said: "The constitutional amendment has to be honoured [to include all third level students]. I teach in the IT [Institute of Technology] and it's crazy that my students cannot vote in this election."

Dr Hillery, who received 1,734 first preference votes, said he was not disappointed with his showing. A son of former president Dr Paddy Hillery, he received Fianna Fáil's endorsement and said it was an honour to receive that support. He did not believe it had backfired. He came seventh out of 24 candidates.

A feature of the count was the 988 rejected ballots. They included one where an elector had enclosed a cheque made out to Hibernian insurance rather than a ballot paper.