If Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil stick by their commitments not to go into coalition, the incoming government will be in a minority in the Seanad.

Given the results of the local elections in 2014, neither Fine Gael nor Fianna Fáil is capable of gaining control of the Seanad even with the Taoiseach having the power to appoint 11 members of the House.

In the unlikely event of the two big parties going into coalition they would not even have a Seanad majority between them, and would require the Taoiseach’s 11 nominees to give them the numbers to control the chamber.

If a minority government is the outcome of the election it would inevitably be in a minority position in the Seanad as well as the Dáil.

The Seanad has no power to block the budget, but can hold up ordinary legislation for 90 days and has the power to initiate its own legislation.

The Seanad is composed of 60 members, with 43 elected on vocational panels from an electorate composed of the country’s 949 county councillors, the 158 members of the incoming Dáil and members of the outgoing Seanad.

Graduates

Another six Senators are elected by the two university panels, three by graduates of Trinity College and three by graduates of the National University of Ireland. The other 11 members are directly appointed by the Taoiseach.

In the local elections of 2014, Fianna Fáil emerged as the biggest party with 267 councillors, followed by Fine Gael with 235, Sinn Féin with 159, Labour 51 and smaller parties and Independents 237.

Experience suggests that on the vocational panels Fianna Fáil will win about 14 or 15 seats in the incoming Seanad, Fine Gael 14, Sinn Féin nine, Labour two and Others three.

Labour will gain an extra Senator if Ivana Bacik holds her seat on the Trinity panel.

Nominations for the university panels closed on Thursday, with 30 candidates being nominated to contest the NUI panel and 16 for the Trinity panel.

Trinity panel

The three outgoing Trinity senators, Ms Bacik, David Norris and Sean Barrett, are all running again. Senator Averil Power, who was formerly of Fianna Fáil and left the party to contest the Dáil election as an Independent, is also contesting the Trinity panel.

On the NUI panel just one of the outgoing Senators, Ronan Mullen, is seeking re-election.

Former Progressive Democrat leader and minister Michael McDowell has thrown his hat into the ring and is being supported by outgoing Senator Fergal Quinn.

Among other candidates are Carol Hunt, who was the Independent Alliance candidate in the Dún Laoghaire constituency in the Dáil election, and social and economic equality advocate Alice Mary Higgins, the daughter of the President.

Nominations for the 43 seats on the five vocational panels do not close for another two weeks for outside nominating bodies and for three weeks as far as Oireachtas nominations are concerned.

Ballot papers for the vocational panels will be issued on April 11th, and the poll will close at 11am on April 25th.

For the university constituencies, ballot papers will be issued on March 21st, and the poll will close at 11am on April 26th.

NUI Panel

Beades, Jerry: director

Begg, David: former ceo of Concern and ex-general secretary of ICTU

Burke, Deirdre: solicitor

Céidigh, Pádraig Ó: entrepreneur

D’Alton, Paul: clinical psychologist

Daly, Martin Khare: medical doctor/general practitioner

Darker, Máire: voluntary worker

Devine, Karen: lecturer

Dinneen, Owen Joseph: member of governing body UCC, senate of NUI and Munster branch of IRFU

Field, Luke: university tutor

Flannery, Pearse: businessman

Golden-Bannon, Ross: journalist

Harmon, Laura: former USI president, women’s and equality advocate

Hayden, Aideen: Senator, chair of Threshold, solicitor

Hearne, Rory: policy analyst

Higgins, Alice-Mary: policy co-ordinator, National Women’s Council of Ireland, advocate for social and economic equality

Higgins, John: community affairs consultant

Hunt, Carol: journalist

Johnston, Barry: human rights campaigner

Kenneally, Christy: communications consultant, writer, broadcaster

McDowell, Michael: senior counsel

McGreal, Daragh: economist and law lecturer

Molloy, Michael Sean: hospital consultant

Monahan, Paddy: barrister

Mullen, Rónán Thomas: full-time public representative (Senator)

Murphy, Eddie: clinical psychologist, mental health advocate, author

O’Coineen, Enda Padraig: entrepreneur, sportsman, author

O’Malley Dunlop, Ellen: former chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, psychotherapist, teacher

Price, Brendan: director of Irish Seal Sanctuary, wildlife advocate and author

Rose, Kieran Alexander: planner, commissioner at Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

Trinity College Dubln Panel

Bacik, Ivana Catherine: Senator

Barrett, Sean Declan Conrad: associate professor of economics, senator

Brennan, Sabina: professor of psychology

Clonan, Thomas: journalist, academic, captain (retired)

Coghlan, Oisín Patrick: director of Friends of the Earth

Cunningham, Kevin: lecturer

Cox, Maeve: barrister

Davitt, Edward Robert: communications officer

Meehan Eoin Terence: IT consultant

Melly, Sean: businessman, professor (adjunct)

Norris, David: Senator

Power, Averil: Senator

Priestley, William: director of youth services

Ruane, Lynn: president, TCDSU

Staines, Anthony: professor of health systems

Tinney, Ethna: musician, formerly RTÉ producer