SINN Féin delegates at this weekend's ard fheis are set to debate whether to review the way the party elects its leadership team.
A motion from Limerick city's Robert Byrne Cumann calling for a "consultation and review" of how the party president and vice-president are elected comes as up to 2,000 Sinn Féin members at the conference are due to vote in what is believed to be the party's first deputy leadership contest for decades.
Former Stormont education minister John O'Dowd is challenging incumbent Michelle O'Neill for the vice-president's post. However, as revealed by The Irish News last month, Sinn Féin has effectively shut down debate around the Upper Bann MLA's audacious challenge.
No hustings events have taken place, while candidates were discouraged from speaking about it in the media.
In an interview with this newspaper earlier this week, Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald defended the way the contest was being conducted, insisting it did not harm the party's image.
She said the party’s ard chomhairle – which includes both contenders in the deputy leadership race – took a decision around the “best, most orderly and fair way” to run the election.
At the weekend Dublin TD Eoin Ó Broin said he would have preferred hustings events to have taken place.
The motion from the Robert Byrne Cumann calls on the incoming ard chomhairle to "instigate a party-wide consultation and review of the current method of election to the posts of party
president and party vice-president".
It recommends the findings of the review are reported ahead of next year's ard fheis.
RTÉ reported yesterday that Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP Michelle Gildernew, who previously voiced support for Mr O'Dowd, said the decision not to hold hustings was taken because Sinn Féin members were busy campaigning for by-elections in the Republic and the UK general election.
However, The Irish News reported that the party had vetoed any hustings events more than two weeks before the general election was called and more than three weeks ahead of the Republic's four by-elections being called.
The result of the deputy leadership contest will be announced on Saturday night at the ard fheis, ahead of Mary Lou McDonald's leader's speech.
