The possibility of a voting pact in the presidential election evaporated yesterday with confirmation that the Fine Gael candidate, Ms Mary Banotti, and the People's Alliance nominee, Ms Adi Roche, have ruled it out. Shortly after Ms Roche asserted she was strongly against such a pact, Ms Banotti said that she wanted voters to "consider carefully" their second and lower preferences. She made no mention of a transfer arrangement and commended positive characteristics in all of the candidates - except Prof Mary McAleese.
Appealing for the second preference votes from supporters of Ms Roche and the two Independent candidates, Dana Rosemary Scallon and Mr Derek Nally, she said she and Prof McAleese were the only likely winners but neither had enough support to get elected on the first count.
Calling for the fullest use of the PR system, she praised Ms Roche, Dana and Mr Nally.
Dana had put forward her views "in an honest and dignified manner"; Ms Roche epitomised "an Ireland that is proud to make a contribution to the world"; and Mr Nally was "a good friend and a decent, public-spirited man". And she wanted their second and third preferences votes.
Fine Gael believes a pact with Ms Roche, whose support had dramatically fallen in the last opinion polls, would limit Ms Banotti's chances of picking up preference votes across the board.
In the early stages of her bid, Ms Roche did not rule out the possibility of a transfer plan. Her campaign committee meets today to take a formal decision on whether or not to enter a pact. She did not believe that the electorate would favour such a proposal, but added the PR system should be used to the full.
Labour sources said, as the campaign developed, there was a strong message from voters that they would reject a pact because it involved a political message. Ms Banotti said support for candidates has very little to do with political parties or with how they were nominated. She had found that support crossed all party lines.
Meanwhile, the Fianna Fail TD for Dublin South West, Mr Conor Lenihan, accused the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, of engaging in the same McCarthyite-style witch-hunt he and his party performed in 1990, when his late father, Brian, was a presidential candidate.
"However, this latest campaign by him is all the more objectionable given that the wild allegations being levelled at Mary McAleese could place in jeopardy her own personal safety and that of her family, who are residents of the Six Counties," Mr Lenihan added.