The battle to succeed Senator Joe O'Toole as general secretary of the INTO appears to be a three-horse race, after a bruising battle for nominations ended last night.
At this stage, Mr John Carr, the INTO general treasurer, is favourite to win the post from the other leading candidate Ms Catherine Byrne, the assistant general secretary. But the result is too close to call.
Mr Noel Ward has moved into contention after securing several nominations in Dublin. A teacher in Tallaght, he is a former programme manager to Mr Pat Rabbitte TD.
The nomination process is the first stage in a process which will be decided in a postal ballot of 26,000 members in the Republic and Northern Ireland. The result is expected to be known shortly after the union's annual congress in April.
All candidates have to be nominated by one or more branches which represent 500 members. Unofficial estimates give Mr Carr 98, Ms Byrne 46, Mr Tom O'Sullivan 17, Mr Ward 11, Ms Brenda Ni Shuilleabhain four and Ms Sheila Nunan three.
Observers believe Mr Carr is well placed to win, given his strong base in Dublin and the North. But Ms Byrne, who secured several nominations in the past week, is now running him very close. Mr O'Sullivan is also a very popular candidate but his success has been largely confined to Limerick and Kerry.
Mr O'Toole will relinquish his post in June 2002.