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WOMEN CANDIDATES FOR SEANAD ÉIREANN The final stage of election 2002 - the election of forty-nine members of Seanad Éireann and the appointment by the Taoiseach of an additional eleven - is now underway, with voting to conclude on 17 July. There are 26 women out of a total of 151 candidates, or 17 per cent, slightly less than the 18 per cent of women candidates at the Dáil election. Fianna Fáil has eight women out of 62 candidates (13 per cent), Fine Gael has nine women out of 40 (23 per cent), and half of Labour's four candidates are women. All incumbent women senators are seeking re-election, including Helen Keogh, appointed as a Progressive Democrat but now standing for Fine Gael in the Industrial and Commercial panel. Almost one-third of the candidates are incumbents (marked with † on Table 2), but the challengers also include some experienced politicians. Three TDs defeated in June (Deirdre Clune, Frances Fitzgerald, and Marian McGennis) and four other unsuccessful Dáil candidates (Nicky McFadden, Sheila Terry, Joanna Tuffy, and Kathy Sinnott) are now contesting the Seanad election. The current senate has eleven women out of sixty members (listed here), including Mary O'Rourke who was nominated by the Taoiseach after the June election. She is likely to be included among the eleven nominees appointed after the election for a full term. Table 1: Proportion of women candidates contesting each panel
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