After months of election debates throughout the country and thousands of postal votes now cast, the candidates running in the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) 2023 elections have just hours to wait before vote counting gets underway.
For the first time, IFA members received their ballot paper in the post and today (Monday, December 11) is the closing date for completed ballots to be returned to the farm organisation.
Members also had the option of bringing their ballot paper to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of their local branch where they could also cast their vote.
The national election count will take place tomorrow (Tuesday, December, 12) at a hotel in Co. Dublin and Agriland is conducting its own informal poll below.
Two candidates are in the running to be the 17th president of the organisation – Francie Gorman from Co, Laois and Martin Stapleton from Co. Limerick.
The next president will take over the role from Tim Cullinan in January, 2024.
Meanwhile Alice Doyle from Co. Wexford and Pat Murphy from Co. Galway are contesting the position of deputy president of the IFA.
Three regional chairs are also up for re-election including Connacht, Munster and South Leinster.
Previously the farm organisation’s national returning officer, Brian Rushe, has said that a “robust democratic process is a cornerstone of IFA”.
“All our branch officers, county officers and national officers are elected by farmers.
“The president and deputy president of IFA are elected directly by members,” Rushe said.
The IFA president, deputy president and regional chairs will be elected for a maximum of one four-year term.
IFA election
A total of 22,998 votes were cast by members of the IFA in the 2019 presidential election.
But it is expected that the new format which has given members the opportunity to return their vote by post, or cast their ballot at their branch AGM, could potentially boost the total vote tally.
The organisation claims to have a total membership in the region of 72,000 members – meaning that the turnout in the 2019 presidential election was just below 32%.
Let us know your thoughts… answer the two simple questions in the poll below on who you believe will be the next president and vice-president of IFA.
Voting is now closed. Thanks for taking part.