The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, has failed to secure a nomination to contest the next general election in his Tipperary North constituency.
Nenagh-based schoolteacher and county councillor Ms Marie Hoctor was nominated as the party's first candidate during a weekend selection convention in Thurles. It is expected that the national executive will ensure that Mr Smith's name will be added to the ticket. A recent party ruling states that Fianna Fail candidates must be selected through a democratic process. In the past, the sitting TD would have been automatically selected to stand in a general election.
