Cllr McFadden is sole candidate for FG convention

Mayor of Athlone Cllr Gabrielle McFadden will the only Fine Gael candidate for the party’s selection convention for the upcoming by-election on Monday, it has been confirmed this evening.

Nominations for the convention closed at 5pm and a Fine Gael spokesman has confirmed that Cllr McFadden will be unopposed for the nomination.

The by-election for the Longford/Westmeath constituency to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Deputy Nicky McFadden will be held on the same day as the local and European elections on May 23.

The selection convention will be held on Monday in the Bloomfield House Hotel in Mullingar and An Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be in attendance.

It is expected that Cllr McFadden will now announce her decision not to contest the local election and instead concentrate her efforts on the by-election.

Other candidates that have declared their intention to contest the by-election so far are: Cllr Aengus O’Rourke (FF), Cllr Paul Hogan (SF) and Independent candidates John McNamara, Donal Jackson and Brian Fagan.