FORMER JUSTICE MINISTER Michael McDowell and ex-union boss David Begg will both be aiming to take seats in the next Seanad.

Both are seeking election to the National University of Ireland panel, and nominations will open tomorrow at 12pm.

Former leader of the Progressive Democrats McDowell held the position of justice minister between 2002 and 2007 and briefly served as Tánaiste from September 2006 and June 2007.

The candidate joined social media platform Twitter this evening ahead of his campaign.

In a statement this evening, David Begg has announced that he will be standing for election to the Seanad as an independent candidate. 

If elected, the former general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said that if elected he would campaign for a shift in the Irish system to be more like the small open economies of Northern Europe.

“Our susceptibility to boom and bust cycles suggest that there are deep structural flaws in our development model,” he said.

He also noted that the 2008 financial crash was the fourth meltdown of the Irish system since independence.

The NUI panel that McDowell and Begg are contesting has three seats.

Only one of the three sitting senators, Ronan Mullen, is seeking to be reelected. Fergal Quinn and John Crown are not.

The positions are voted on by the graduates of the NUI and ballots papers will be issued later this month. 

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