Cork South-West TD Michael Collins will lead a new political party, it has been announced.
The Electoral Commission today announced that Mr Collins would lead and Limerick County TD Richard O’Donoghue would be the General Secretary of the Independent Ireland party.
A statement today said that the Registrar of Political Parties has today “given notice of his intention to approve an application by the Independent Ireland party to become a registered political party eligible to stand candidates in Ireland’s Dáil, local and European elections”.
“The decision made by the Chief Executive of An Coimisiún Toghcháin, the Electoral Commission, Mr. Art O’Leary, as Ireland’s Registrar of Political Parties, will become effective after a 21-day appeal period, or the outcome of any such appeal.
“If registered as Ireland’s 27th political party, Independent Ireland will have two elected Dáil Deputies among its membership – Michael Collins TD (Party Leader) and Richard O’ Donoghue TD (General Secretary).
“The formal notification has today been published in the official Irish State gazette, Iris Oifigiúil.”
Mr Collins had said that he had no interest in joining the new Farmers Alliance (FA) political party.
The West Cork TD told the that he was not involved in discussions to , which was announced in August.
He said that the party appeared to be a group of concerned individuals who were “dead right” to be concerned, saying that rural Ireland was being “hammered left, right, and centre”.
No official announcement has been made by either TD.
