FIANNA FÁIL’S TDs have just two days to decide if they want to run for the party’s leadership – and will have just four days to decide who they’re backing in the contest.

Fianna Fáil party chairman John Browne has confirmed that following this afternoon’s indication that Brian Cowen was resigning the party leadership, he will now accept nominations for the party leadership.

Nominations need to be supported by a proponent and seconder, and the deadline for nominations will be at lunchtime on Monday.

The weekly meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party will now take place on Wednesday, and not Tuesday as first scheduled; voting will be by secret ballot.

The new leader, when they are announced on Wednesday afternoon, will have just 44 days as party leader before the general election is held on Friday, March 11.

The terms and conditions in full:

• Nominations are now open
• Any Fianna Fáil T.D. may be nominated to contest for the position of Party Leader
• Nominees should be proposed and seconded by a Fianna Fáil member of Dáil Éireann
• Nominations must be received by the Party Chairperson before 1.00pm on Monday 24th January 2011
• A special meeting of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party will be convened at 2.00pm on Wednesday 26th January 2011 in the Party Rooms, Leinster House, Dublin to elect the 8th Leader of Fianna Fáil
• The meeting will be opened by the Party Chairperson who will confirm the nominees for the position and call for them to be formally proposed and seconded
• Tellers will be agreed by the meeting
• An Taoiseach Brian Cowen T.D. will address the meeting
• Nominees will then be invited to address the meeting
• A roll call of electors will be read, ballot papers will be distributed and a secret ballot will follow
• The agreed tellers will withdraw from the meeting, then examine and count the ballots
• The tellers will withdraw from the meeting, then examine and count the ballots
• The tellers will communicate the outcome of the ballot to the Whip and the Party Chairperson, who will then inform the Parliamentary Party

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