De Rossa hints at election date in May

THE Minister for Social Welfare has said May "is the more likely" date for the general election, the first hint by a Government leader as to its timing. Mr De Rossa, speaking to journalists yesterday, said June or the autumn had not been ruled out.

He, the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, and the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, had not yet decided on a polling date but the options had been addressed.

When they did decide, the matter would be made public "within hours", Mr De Rossa added. Precisely when the general election should take place would be based on a judgment that the timing would be right to reelect this Government".

However, the possibility of a summer election began to fade "from the middle of June". The "window closes" from that point. "You could go close to the end of June but, again, it is a question of judging the issues," he added.

The tribunal into the Dunnes payments was just one of the considerations in deciding on the timing of an election. If oral evidence concluded by the end of next week, as anticipated, it would not affect at all the choice of an election date, but the question of when the Taoiseach took the stand to give evidence would be a consideration, following the general election, Democratic Left, which holds its annual delegate conference in Dun Laoghaire this weekend, would not support a Fianna Fail minority government. However, while Mr De Ross a did not foresee a situation whereby Democratic Left would go into coalition with Fianna Fail, he did not rule out such a possibility indefinitely.