FIANNA FÁIL SENATOR Lisa Chambers has said she is “considering” a run in the European Parliament elections next year.
When asked by reporters at Leinster House this afternoon, if she would like to run as an MEP, she said:
“I’m certainly considering it. I’m looking at the constituency, obviously, we’re awaiting the boundary review that will be published in August. And we’re hoping to have a party convention then in the autumn. So we’ll be watching that very closely with a view to hopefully contesting that election.”
If running, she would be in the Midlands-North-West constituency.
Chamber was a TD for Mayo for four years, before losing her seat in 2020.
Currently, Fianna Fáil has two MEPS: Billy Kelleher in the South constituency and Barry Andrews in the Dublin constituency.
Next year’s EU elections will take place from 6 to 9 June.
It’s been anticipated that changes in population levels across member states will mean that Ireland will gain another seat in the parliament in the next election.
Newly confirmed Census figures that show the population stood at 5.1 million in April 2022 – an 8% increase since 2016 and the first time in 171 years that the number surpassed five million – make that ever-more likely.
At the same time, the Electoral Commission is considering where constituency lines will be drawn as it reviews the voting boundaries for both Dáil and European elections.
Currently, there are three Irish constituencies in EU elections: Dublin, Midlands-North-West (Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, and Westmeath) and the South (Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, and Wicklow).
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