THE GENERAL election is likely to be held in the middle of March, Minister for Tourism Mary Hanafin has said.
Ms Hanafin said yesterday that while nothing had been settled, the election was probably going to be called in the middle of February, followed by a four-week campaign.
She said her reasons for saying that were the length of time it would take for the Finance Bill to pass through the Oireachtas in addition to the difficulties of conducting a general election campaign in the heart of winter, when it became dark earlier.
She said she did not know whether the date would be before St Patrick’s Day.
The national holiday is significant in the context of an election as it is a time when Ministers travel abroad to represent the State.
Since the 1990s the taoiseach of the day has visited the White House in Washington for a high-profile shamrock ceremony with the US president.
Ms Hanafin said: “We are only in the realm of feelings and perceptions at this stage. It won’t be called before the end of January because the financial Bills will not be through.
“I suspect you are probably talking about it being called in the middle of February, with a four-week campaign,” she told The Irish Times. “We had a four-week campaign the last time. The advantage of a four-week campaign is that it forces people to address the issues rather than the personalities.
“It’s not just being selfish talking about a campaign in the winter. I suppose it’s difficult to engage with the public when the evenings are dark and they won’t open the door.
“That’s not just from the politicians’ point of view but also from the people at the door who want to get their views across and probably won’t be able to in the heart of winter.”
Last month the Green Party said the election should be held by the end of January.
However, in talks between the two Coalition partners there has been agreement that the financial Bills plus legislation promoted by the Greens – such as the Dublin Mayoral Bill and the Climate Change Bill – would require the date to be put back. Ms Hanafin’s comments now suggest a later date than has been publicly acknowledged.