THE PROGRESSIVE Democrats leader, Senator Ciarán Cannon, will seek to contest the next general election for Fine Gael in the Galway East constituency, The Irish Times has learned.
Mr Cannon, the fourth and final leader of the PDs, is expected to join Fine Gael before the end of the month.
The senator, who is based in Carrabane, Athenry, had previously been in talks with Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore. He also had a preliminary discussion with a Fianna Fáil representative.
Fine Gael ran four candidates on its Galway East ticket in the 2007 general election, when TDs Paul Connaughton and Ulick Burke were elected to the Dáil. Cllr Tom McHugh and Dr John Barton also ran for the party in the constituency.
None of the four have indicated that they do not intend to contest the next general election. Local speculation that Dr Barton, a cardiologist at Portiuncula Hospital, would run in the European elections alongside sitting MEP Jim Higgins was dismissed recently.
Mr Connaughton, Fine Gael’s deputy spokesman on health with special responsibility for older people, is based in Mountbellew, Ballinasloe. His is considered a safe seat. Dr Barton is also based in Ballinasloe.
Mr Burke, from Abbey, Loughrea, is his party’s deputy spokesman on education with special responsibility for lifelong learning. Mr McHugh is based in Tuam.
Mr Cannon was elected to Galway County Council in June 2004 to represent the Loughrea area.
In the 2007 general election, he received 3,321 first preference votes, a 5.95 per cent share of the vote, and was eliminated on the fourth count. He was nominated to the Seanad by the then taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
The winding-up of the Progressive Democrats, which had been scheduled to take place at the end of last month, has been postponed for legal reasons associated with deregistration and the submission of final accounts.
At a meeting on Thursday night, the party’s national executive signed off on audited accounts for 2008. These will be sent to the Standards in Public Office Commission next week. Another set of accounts relating to finances from January 1st of this year must also be presented to the commission.
Just two Progressive Democrats TDs were returned to the Dáil after the 2007 election – Noel Grealish in Galway West and Minister for Health Mary Harney in Dublin Mid West.
Mr Grealish is now routinely referred to as an Independent TD. He had been in informal discussions with Fianna Fáil but confirmed in November of last year that he would not be joining the party.
It is expected, but has not been officially confirmed, that Ms Harney will continue as Minister for Health when the PDs wind up and her status will be Independent.
Earlier this month Ms Harney rejected a report that the Taoiseach Brian Cowen had asked her to rejoin Fianna Fáil once the PDs were formally wound up.
“I have not been asked . . . he had no such conversation with me,” she said.
Meanwhile, Progressive Democrats Senator Fiona O’Malley has made no comment about her future plans. However, there has been some speculation that she may join Fianna Fáil.
