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JOHN Gormley has, for many years, existed in a club of one as the only member of the Green Party to have been elected mayor of any Irish city. That exclusivity may, however, change in June as Niall O'Brolchain looks set to become the next Mayor of Galway. O'Brolchain, the sole Green Party councillor on Galway City Council, signed up to a written mayoral pact with Fine Gael and Labour after the 2004 local elections. His turn to wear the chain of office is expected to be confirmed on 19 June. Significantly, O'Brolchain will be mayor of Galway in the run-in to the 2007 general election. The Green Party politician will hope the profile strengthens his position as a candidate in Galway West. All the main parties have problems in the constituency . . .
Fianna Fail is undecided about its third candidiate, there are rows in Labour over a second candidate to accompany Michael D Higgins, while Padraic McCormack's retirement last week has left Fine Gael without an outgoing TD.
O'Brolchain, a computer consultant, may be the surprise candidate when the votes are counted. The Greens are also looking for gains in Wicklow and Carlow/Kilkenny, which would certainly strengthen their post-election bargaining position with either Fianna Fail or Fine Gael/Labour. In the jostling to be the minor party in the next government, the PDs have taken to attacking Labour as their principal rival, but the Greens may quietly be sneaking up to the front gates of Government Buildings.
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YOU ARE HERE: 19 March 2007 / tribune.ie / 2006 / 04 / 30
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