Noon on Thursday next is to be the deadline for nominations to succeed Pat Rabbitte as leader of the Labour Party.
The deadline was set by today's meeting in Dublin of the party's National Executive.
Members will have until October the fourth to vote.
The acting leader of the Labour Party, Liz McManus, has ruled herself out of the contest for the party leadership.
She said she would be supporting Eamon Gilmore and Jan O'Sullivan in the race for leader and deputy leader respectively.
The party's acting leader said she was also bearing in mind that the European elections are less than two years away and offer Labour new opportunities to grow the party.
The only declared candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party has said he expects that an election will take place for the position.
Éamon Gilmore was speaking as he arrived for a meeting of the party's national executive to fix a date for the closing of nominations for the leadership contest.
On RTÉ's Saturdayview, Mr Gilmore said he was planning ahead on the basis that an election will take place.
He said he had put together an election campaign committee, and he was preparing a detailed manifesto.
Pat Rabbitte resigned as leader with immediate effect just over a week ago.
Dún Laoghaire TD Éamon Gilmore is the only declared candidate to date for the position of leader.
Meanwhile, Labour leadership candidate, Eamon Gilmore has said that he wants to see the U.S. military's use of Shannon Airport for the war in Iraq brought to an end.
Addressing members of Labour Youth, he said Labour had been absolutely opposed to the war in Iraq from the start, consistent with the principles and philosophy of the party.
He asked if it was not truly remarkable that the party of Eamon de Valera who crafted Ireland's neutrality, aided by the Green Party, were maintaining military flights to Iraq from Shannon while civilian flights to London were being driven out.
