
Micheál Martin ‘definietly not' running for presidency, he says
Micheál Martin
has said he is 'definitely not' going to run as a candidate for
presidency.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said
Fianna Fáil
will consider a candidate in the coming weeks after taking 'soundings' from people within the parliamentary party.
When asked if he had spoken with Deirdre Heenan, a Derry-based Ulster University professor who has been mentioned in some circles to be the party's candidate, Mr Martin said he had not.
'A lot of names have been floated in association with Fianna Fáil. I'm not responsible for the flotation of any of those names, just to make that very clear. I was elected, you know, I went to the people to say I wanted to serve Cork South Central and I wanted to lead Fianna Fáil into government.
'I made that obligation to the public and that's the context. No disrespect to the presidency or anything, but I gave commitments to the people that I would serve in Dáil Éireann for the next five years and that is what I'm going to do.'
At the weekend former Fianna Fáil minister Mary Hanafin, who has expressed an interest in running herself, said
it would be 'an insult' to the office of the presidency if her party does not run a candidate
.
The first declared candidates – former European Commissioner and Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness and Independent TD Catherine Connolly – emerged last week in the battle to succeed President Michael D Higgins.
Independent Ireland
is open to talking to former chief medical officer (CMO)
Tony Holohan
and Irish dancing star
Michael Flatley
, should they seek nominations from Oireachtas members to enter the race, party leader Michael Collins has said.
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