Fianna F�il's national executive last week formally ratified Brady and Fitzpatrick, along with all but one of the party's other candidates. However, it also reaffirmed the authority of the party's influential constituencies committee to change candidate line-ups, as it sees fit, ahead of the election being called.

When asked about the situation in Dublin Central, a party spokeswoman this weekend said, "Three candidates have been ratified and that's it." However, several reliable party sources, including a number in Dublin Central, said the position was still open to change. In recent weeks, literature from Ahern distributed in parts of Dublin Central made no reference to the names of other FF candidates in the constituency.

Ahern closely guards all decisions about his constituency, which is polled regularly by the party. No senior figure in FF has yet been formally told Ahern's preference for his running mates. "Bertie will continue to review the situation until just before the election is going to be called. It may just be too late to change the ticket then but he'll see what the poll numbers look like before making a final decision, " one party source said.

Senior party figures advised Ahern late last year that a two-candidate strategy would work best, with Fitzpatrick the best option in reducing the impact of Sinn F�in MEP Mary Lou McDonald. However, supporters of Brady insist he will poll well enough to ensure FF retains two seats in the four-seat constituency.

The decision of former Green Party MEP Patricia McKenna to run has made Dublin Central - where Labour's Joe Costello and Independent TD Tony Gregory are also contesting - harder to predict. McKenna yesterday kicked off her election campaign with an event in Fagan's pub in Drumcondra, one of several pubs in the area known as Ahern's 'local'. "Fagan's is my local too, " McKenna said. "Everyone knows that Bertie has more votes than he needs so I'm looking to get any of those that I can."

Meanwhile, contacts are ongoing between representatives of Mattie McGrath and FF officials about the future of the local councillor, who has not been ratified as a candidate in Tipperary South. McGrath is due to appear in court in May on public-order offences. It has been known for some time that, separately from the legal case, FF would have preferred to drop McGrath.

Siobhan Ambrose and senator Martin Mansergh are seen as the frontrunners for the sole FF seat in the constituency. While no decision will be taken on McGrath's future for some weeks, informed sources predicted he would most likely survive as a party candidate.