Nomination rules criticised

Independent Dáil candidates have condemned new nomination procedures applying to non-party politicians as unfair and unconstitutional.

Under legislation passed shortly before the Dáil was dissolved, Independent candidates require 30 nominating signatures before their names can be placed on the ballot paper.

The 30 "assentors" must be living in the constituency in which the candidate is standing; they must sign the nomination papers in a designated administrative office in the constituency; and they must bring photographic identification.

These regulations do not apply to party candidates, who require only a single proposer and a certificate of party affiliation.

The period in which candidates can be nominated has also been reduced, from nine to seven days.

The changes contained in the Electoral (Amendment) Act were introduced after the High Court ruled that a requirement for candidates to pay deposits for general and European elections was unconstitutional.

Mr Denis O'Buachalla, a prospective independent candidate in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, said the regulations were discriminatory in a number of ways.

Citizens were being treated differently, depending on whether they were in a party or not. In some counties assentors would have to travel up to 60 miles to get to a designated office, he said.

Mr O'Buachalla called on the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, to ensure that all designated offices in the constituencies were open outside office hours on Wednesday, the last full day for accepting designations.