Newly elected North Kildare TD Catherine Murphy has accused Fianna Fáil and Labour of gross manipulation of the democratic process after Leixlip Town Council on Tuesday refused to back her nominee for her seat, opting instead for a Fianna Fáil representative.
"Voters in Leixlip elected me as an Independent in the 2004 local elections," she said. "That mandate should have been respected when it came to co-opting my replacement. If democracy is to mean anything, it must respect the wishes of the people.
TDs are required to resign from local government on election to the Dáil. However, Ms Murphy said the Local Government Act ensured the democratic wish of the people was respected when it came to filling seats vacated by members of a party but did not offer similar protection to seats vacated by Independents.
She said the town council filled two vacancies in the past by way of co-option and in both cases, the council, accepted the nomination of the outgoing councillor.
"Labour quite obviously makes very comfortable bedfellows with Fianna Fáil, despite the message Labour was spreading in Kildare North within the past month."
Fianna Fáil, with three members, is now the largest party on the council.
Ms Murphy had nominated Denis McCarthy, an Independent who narrowly missed out on the last seat in the town council local elections.
At Tuesday's meeting, Mr McCarthy did garner support from Fine Gael, the Green Party and an Independent representative. But the vote reached a stalemate as Labour rowed in behind Fianna Fáil to support its nominee, Kevin O'Connor.
Newly elected chairman Bernard Caldwell (Fianna Fáil) held the casting vote and he voted in favour of Mr O'Connor.