The Green Party's hopes of securing two Seanad nominations by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern hinge on the party's councillors and TDs voting for Fianna Fáil candidates, it has emerged.
Currently, the Greens have 19 city and county councillors, and six TDs who are entitled to vote in the election, for which polling will close on Monday, July 23rd.
Fianna Fáil had 30 seats in the outgoing Seanad, including some appointed directly by the Taoiseach, though it will not be able to hold that number again because it lost 80 seats in the 2004 local elections.
This means that it should lose one seat in each of the vocational panels to be contested in the election. Under a deal struck as part of the coalition talks, Green TDs and councillors are expected to follow central direction and vote for two Fianna Fáil nominees on each of the panels.
Fianna Fáil Seanad candidates are currently lobbying hard for a place on the list to be sent out to the Greens. The Progressive Democrats' hopes of securing two places among the Taoiseach's 11 nominees also depend on that party's councillors obeying the party in the vote.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil has complained strongly to Fianna Fáil Cork East TD Ned O'Keeffe for signing the nomination papers of outgoing Fianna Fáil Senator Don Lydon. He has been a member of the Seanad since 1987 and did not win a nomination to run from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, or from any other body entitled to nominate candidates.
Four Oireachtas members can put a candidate's name forward, and his papers were signed by himself, outgoing ex-Fianna Fáil Senator Margaret Cox, outgoing PD Senator Tom Morrissey and Mr O'Keeffe.
Mr O'Keeffe is understood to have received complaints on Wednesday from the Government Chief Whip Tom Kitt for signing Mr Lydon's papers.
