UNITED LEFT ALLIANCE:THE UNITED Left Alliance has abandoned attempts to have its name included on the ballot paper in this election.
The group’s 19 candidates will instead be listed as members of their core parties rather than the banner of the broader alliance.
The alliance, which includes prominent politicians such as Joe Higgins MEP and Councillor Richard Boyd Barrett, embraces the Socialist Party, People Before Profit and the Tipperary-based Workers and Unemployed Action Group.
After its formation last year, the group asked the registrar of political parties to ensure that the alliance moniker be listed beside its candidates’ names on the ballot paper. This request was refused as only registered political parties can have their names included on the ballot paper.
The alliance, after taking legal advice, then applied to have the names of each of its constituent parties changed by adding the ULA name.
Last week, the registrar refused this request for a blanket change, saying each party would have to apply for such a change separately and would also have to show that it had consulted internally before applying to change its name.
With the election taking place earlier than anticipated, the group ran out of time to make the desired change. Any alteration to the name, even if appealed, would be subject to a 21-day appeal period during which other political parties could object.
A spokesman said the alliance had decided there was not enough time to go through this process and it would approach the issue after the election “at our leisure”.
