Seanad bye-election to be announced

The Minister for Housing and Local Government James Browne is today to confirm a bye-election for the remaining vacancy in the Oireachtas.

Minister Browne will move the writ for the contest to fill a seat on the Seanad's Cultural and Educational panel, which has been vacated since Fine Gael's Sean Kyne returned to the Dáil after winning the Galway West bye-election in May.

The close of nominations for the ballot is Tuesday, 6 October, with ballot papers to be issued to those voting on Friday, 23 October. The poll closes on Friday, 6 November.

There are 234 members of the Dáil and Seanad who are eligible to vote, of which 51.2% are representatives of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

Former Dublin City Lord Mayor Ray McAdam has been selected as the Fine Gael candidate, having seen off competition from Kilkenny Cllr David Fitzgerald, Laois Cllr Vivienne Phelan, Sligo Cllr Thomas Walsh and Galway Cllr Frank Fahy, among others.

The Cavan native and Dublin City Councillor ran unsuccessfully in the Dublin Central bye-election in May to fill the seat of his party colleague Pascal Donohue, receiving 10.67% of the vote.

His success would be regarded as strategically important for Fine Gael, with the party currently without Oireachtas representation in Cllr McAdam's constituency of Dublin Central and the neighbouring constituency of Dublin North West.

Since Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael entered into coalition in 2020, there has been precedent for the parties not to stand against each other in Seanad bye-elections and vote for the other.

With this contest to fill Sean Kyne's seat, Fine Gael might expect Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators to vote for Cllr McAdam in what could be a close contest. However, nothing can be guaranteed.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik wrote to the Social Democrats and the Green Party in May to try to put forward an agreed name. However, this was seemingly rebuffed by the Social Democrats. Sinn Féin, meanwhile, is mulling its options.