A lengthy meeting of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party has endorsed Enda Kenny's proposal to abolish the Seanad and reduce the number of TDs.
However, there was criticism of the leader for announcing the new policy without consultation.
He told the Fine Gael presidential dinner on Saturday night that he would hold such a referendum within a year of entering government.
That announcement was made without prior consultation with his party colleagues, some of whom were extremely annoyed.
That annoyance was expressed at a meeting of the parliamentary party, which lasted for more than three and a half hours.
However, the meeting ended with an agreed statement saying the parliamentary party fully endorsed the leader's policy on political reform, including a referendum on the abolition of the Seanad, a reduction in the size of the Dáil and a review of the electoral system.
