FORMER North Belfast councillor Mal O'Hara is on the verge of being elected to the Seanad – unopposed.
The Green Party announced earlier this month that it had nominated their party leader in the North to contest the Seanad by-election which was triggered following the resignation of Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile, who stepped down last December due to health reasons.
It has now been revealed that no other candidate from any other party has been nominated.
Mal's election is set to follow certain formalities which are likely to take place on April 8.
Mal has been the Leader of the Green Party in the North since August 2022. He was elected to Belfast City Council in 2019 for the Castle area before losing his seat in last year's local government elections.
Before entering politics, he worked in the community and voluntary sector for almost two decades, addressing inequality and helping to build peace in the most deprived areas of Belfast.
If, as expected he is elected, Mal would become the Green Party's fifth sitting Senator.
The government is trying to install a new senator to further cushion its majority. There’s just over 24 hours left to ensure an election is held for the Seanad. @SocDems @sinnfeinireland, will you facilitate this government stitch-up or nominate the only other declared candidate?
— Tomás Heneghan (@TomasJHeneghan) March 21, 2024
“It is important that a Northern Ireland voice remains in the Seanad," Mal told the North Belfast News.
"I believe that with my background as an activist, my almost two decades in the community and voluntary sector, my time as a Belfast City Councillor, as a Harbour Commissioner and board member of mental health charities, I can authentically advocate on behalf of all communities.
"I will ensure that all voices from Northern Ireland are amplified in the Seanad."
He added: “The Green Party is the only all-island cross-community party. I am excited about joining a strong Green Party Oireachtas team and working with our colleagues in Government and cross-bench to achieve a socially and environmentally just society."
Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan said: “I am delighted that Mal is set to be nominated to Seanad Éireann and will be joining our other strong and effective Green senators in the upper house of the Oireachtas.
"As leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland, Mal will bring a unique all-island perspective to the Seanad, as an extension of the inclusiveness that he has shown in his political and work careers to date.
“As a community worker, activist and a politician, Mal has worked tirelessly to promote peace, prosperity, tolerance, climate and social justice across different political, social and cultural divides.
"I look forward to the positive contributions he will make, not just in the Seanad itself, but to politics in general and this island’s social and economic progress over the coming year.”
