Mitchell and McGuinness to the fore as Doyle pulls out

SUPPORTERS OF Fine Gael MEPs Gay Mitchell and Mairead McGuinness last night expressed confidence their preferred candidate could secure enough votes to become the party’s presidential nominee at tomorrow’s selection convention.

Some sources said former European Parliament president Pat Cox would emerge as the “dark horse” of the contest, although there was embarrassment within his camp yesterday after he mistakenly appealed to a Labour Minister for a number one vote.

The letter sent to Labour Minister of State Alan Kelly was intended for Fine Gael councillor Alan O’Kelly, Mr Cox’s spokeswoman said.

Former minister of state Avril Doyle withdrew from the race yesterday, saying she realised she was unlikely to secure the nomination.

A senior party source said Mr Mitchell and Ms McGuinness remained the frontrunners.

“The conventional wisdom is that Gay and Mairead are close, but that Gay has more people who won’t declare.

“Sources close to the leadership have tried to generate heat behind Cox for the benefit of those who don’t know their own mind, but I don’t think that fire has caught hold,” the source said.

Ms McGuinness had secured 12 public declarations of support to Mr Mitchell’s 10. Carlow TD Pat Deering became the latest deputy to line up behind a preferred candidate, announcing his support for Ms McGuinness. However, a large number of the parliamentary party have kept their counsel or remain undecided.

The votes of TDs, Senators and MEPs who are in attendance at the Regency Hotel in north Dublin tomorrow afternoon will count for 70 per cent of the total poll. Rebel TD Denis Naughten no longer has a vote.

Local authority representatives present will count for 20 per cent, and the votes of Fine Gael’s executive council will count for 10 per cent of the poll. Some sources said the majority of the executive council would back Mr Cox.

Meanwhile, Mr Kelly said he was laughing off the error by Mr Cox’s campaign in writing to him asking for support. “Obviously somebody belonging to him sent it by accident. It was obviously an error. These things happen, it’s no big deal. I see the funny side of it more than anything else. Pat Cox is someone I have huge respect for. Whoever comes out on top on Saturday will be coming second to Michael D anyway.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Cox said: “We don’t know how the mix up happened, but it was intended for Councillor Alan O’Kelly.”

Ms Doyle said she was acting in the best interests of Fine Gael by withdrawing, and would not endorse any of the three remaining candidates.