The presidential election, if one is called, will be governed by new donation and spending limits, the Standards in Public Office Commission has made clear.
Under the Electoral Act, candidates will have to ensure that their campaign budgets do not exceed €1.2 million, though they will qualify for up to €260,000 if they get more than a quarter of a quota.
The existence of the possible State funding came as a surprise yesterday to many Labour TDs and senators attending the Labour Parliamentary Party meeting.
The possibility of State money may also have helped to assuage the doubts of some members of the Green Party's National Council, who will decide their party's stand on the election on Saturday.
Under the Department of the Environment's rules, the €260,000 is paid to cover expenses if the candidate manages to exceed a quarter of the quota, or one-eighth of the vote.
None of the possible runners is contemplating spending anything like €1.2 million, particularly since political parties are short of money following the local and European elections.
In 1997, the President, Mrs McAleese raised over €600,000 from 51 donors for her successful election campaign, though nearly €341,179 of this came directly from Fianna Fáil.
Under the Electoral Act, however, presidential candidates will not be able to accept more than €2,539 from any one individual.
Political parties will not be subject to this €2,539 donation limit: "Any support given to a candidate by a party is not regarded as a donation, unless it is money," a Commission spokesman said yesterday.
"If Fianna Fáil was to pay for President McAleese's postering that would be regarded as part of her election budget, and not regarded as an election donation," he went on.
The identity of individuals making donations above €635 will have to be disclosed when candidates subsequently file their post-election returns.
In 1997, Mrs McAleese, supported by both FF and the Progressive Democrats, raised over €130,000 more than her closest competitor, then Fine Gael MEP, Mrs Mary Banotti.
Businessman, Mr Martin Naughton, who was subsequently appointed by the President to the Council of State after her inauguration, donated €5,000 to her campaign.
The electrical company, Glen Dimplex, of which he is the deputy chairman, donated €6,000, while an associated company, Dimpco, gave €3,000 to the McAleese campaign.
Builders also heavily backed her campaign, including Ballymore Securities (€12,120), Mountbrook Developments (€5,000) and Pierse Contracting (€4,000).
Treasury Holdings, which has developed into one of the country's biggest property development companies, also gave €3,500 to the McAleese campaign.
Though it does not know if it will face opposition, the McAleese campaign intends to have a fund-raising committee and an election team by the end of this week.
