Fianna Fáil party officers will today make an 11th-hour decision on whether the party selection convention in the Taoiseach's Dublin Central constituency will tonight choose two or three candidates to contest the next general election.
The party's constituencies committee will make its decision today after a series of meetings this week considered how best to cope with a major challenge from Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald.
Today's decision, in a constituency containing one of the most vulnerable Fianna Fáil seats in the State, will seek to balance the need to have the most logical candidate strategy with the need to have a united campaign.
The constituency organisation is divided between those backing the Taoiseach's right-hand constituency organiser, Senator Cyprian Brady, and Mary Fitzpatrick, the daughter of retiring TD Dr Dermot Fitzpatrick, to join the Taoiseach on the party ticket.
Ms Fitzpatrick held off Sinn Féin's Nicky Kehoe by just 79 votes in 2002 to take a second seat for Fianna Fáil in the four-seat constituency.
The high profile of Ms McDonald is seen as posing a major threat to Fianna Fáil's ambitions of holding the two seats.
Six people are believed to have been nominated for tonight's convention. However, party sources speculate just three will go forward.
These are Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Ms Fitzpatrick and Senator Brady.
The other three nominated are understood to be one of the Taoiseach's key constituency operatives, Chris Wall, constituency activist Niall Ring and Cllr Tom Stafford.
The party's constituency committee, which is chaired by Minister for Finance Brian Cowen, met yesterday to discuss a number of issues, including whether two or three candidates should be selected.
The members of that committee - it includes party general secretary Seán Dorgan and the 2002 director of elections PJ Mara - are expected to consult again today before their decision is made known.
Some party sources speculated yesterday that the party was likely to choose three candidates, although they suggested the Taoiseach would have the final say.
Fianna Fáil headquarters has announced that Cllr Noreen Ryan has been added as the third candidate to the party's ticket in the Limerick East constituency for the next general election.
Cllr Noreen Ryan will join Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea TD and Peter Power TD on the ticket in Limerick East.
