Independent Senator Michael McDowell first candidate to be elected to Seanad
By Cate McCurry, PA
Independent Senator Michael McDowell is the first candidate to be elected in the first count of the Seanad election.
He was elected in the National University of Ireland (NUI) panel, with 11,390 first preference votes leaving a surplus of 2,361, which will be distributed on Thursday.
Out of a valid poll of 36,114, the NUI panel had a quota of 9,029.
Speaking afterwards, Mr McDowell said he was “very grateful” to be re-elected and returning to the 27th Seanad.
Outgoing senator Ronan Mullen and Alice Mary Higgins are following closely behind with 7,452 and 6,872 votes respectively.
Counting on the NUI panel resumed on Thursday morning.
On the Dublin University/Trinity College panel, incumbent Lynn Ruane topped the poll with 3,761 votes, followed by Tom Clonan with 3,473 votes and Aubrey McCarthy in third place with 1,814 votes.
Former children’s minister Katherine Zappone, who is among the most well-known of the candidates, is struggling with 950 votes.
Counting continued on that panel on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, the counting process for the five vocational panels is under way at Leinster House.
A total of 111 candidates are competing for the 43 seats.
Counting will begin with the Cultural and Education panel on Thursday, and is expected to continue until Bank Holiday Monday.
As soon as each panel is counted, the counting staff will move to the next panel.
Counting will begin at 9.30am each day and continue until around midnight.
All results will be posted on the Oireachtas website and social media sites.
The counting order of panels will be Cultural and Education; Agricultural; Labour; Industrial and Commercial; and Administrative.
The vast majority of the public do not have a vote in the Seanad.
The Dail’s TDs, outgoing senators and local authority councillors make up the electorate for the five vocational panels.
Graduates of NUI institutions and Trinity College Dublin vote for the six seats across the two panels.
The final 11 Seanad seats are appointed by Taoiseach Micheal Martin.
Among those running for a seat are Fine Gael’s Alan Farrell, Fianna Fáil’s Joe Flaherty, Green Party’s Malcolm Noonan, as well as Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy and Pauline Tully.
Mr Murphy, who is the party’s chief negotiator and Stormont Economy Minister, announced the surprise move last month.
The Newry and Armagh representative, who is running in the Industrial and Commercial panel, said that “constitutional change is coming” and that his experience “will drive efforts for referenda and Irish reunification”.
Other notable candidates include Frances Black, Restaurants Association of Ireland chief executive Adrian Cummins, and former TD Cathal Berry.
Elected senators will debate legislation put forward by the Government.
They can amend Bills and propose their own Bills but cannot prevent one from becoming law.
