Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon will consider taking legal action if her attempt to enter the Presidential race fails, her campaign manager, Mr John Browne said this afternoon.
Ms Scallon has now turned her attention to TDs and senators, having conceded that her bid to enlist the support of the four county councils, she needs to enter the race, is not going to succeed.
Mr John Browne, campaign manager for Ms Scallon
Her team is today working the "phones, fax, email and personal contacts" in a last-ditch bid to secure the support of 20 Oireachtas members before tomorrow's noon deadline for nominations, Mr Browne said.
He dismissed reports that the focus of their efforts would be Independents, saying members were being approached as individuals rather than party members.
He indicated that some members had pledged their support but their identities would only be revealed in the event Ms Scallon's bid to run is successful. He declined to say how many members were backing her.
Speaking to ireland.comthis afternoon, Mr Browne said the main parties were "unduly and unfairly" imposing the whip on their members, particularly since last week when Ms Scallon obtained the endorsement of Galway City Council.
"We've seen what has happened to county councillors who have suffered because they gave us support so we have to keep names confidential," Mr Browne said.
If Ms Scallon fails to garner sufficient support, then President McAleese will be returned to Aras an Uachtarain unopposed.
Mr Browne said the party leaders should explain why they were undermining democracy and robbing voters of the opportunity to vote on who should be the next president.
He said: "This is a much bigger issue than Dana, this about the function of the presidency. Article 12.2 of the Constitution says the president should be elected by the people."
"Now we have a situation where the president is being appointed by the establishment and beholden to the parties ... the role of the president is supposed to be above party allegiance."
Mr Browne warned that if Ms Scallon's bid to enter the race is unsuccessful, then she would consider mounting a constitutional challenge.