Mairead McGuinness withdraws from presidential race
Gerard Howlin, former government advisor and political commentator, analyses the current state of the Presidential Election after the withdrawal of Mairead McGuinness.
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RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Strangest of days as launch for Áras overtaken by events
It was the strangest of days. August is usually decried as "peak silly season" as the Dáil, courts, schools and many commentators are off. But it's also seen as a great time to get airtime, should you need it. Gareth Sheridan, the businessman bidding to be Ireland's youngest ever President at 35, launched his campaign on Thursday in the serene surrounds of The Shelbourne, in the Constitution room, no less. Surrounded by portraits of the greats of Irish history like Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera as well as a dozen journalists, the young businessman set out his stall. But he opened up a can of worms when he said he felt there was a campaign being orchestrated against him, while saying he wasn't pointing the finger at any individual. Cue 20 minutes of questions about that very topic. The whole press conference took an hour, and to his credit, Mr Sheridan took it in his stride; is he populist? He says no, while saying he wants to "Make Ireland Home Again". But the toughest thing about his launch? Events, dear boy, events. Barely three hours later, news landed into newsrooms and journalists' emails like a bombshell. Mairead McGuinness was withdrawing from the Presidential race, on health grounds. There was heartfelt shock and messages of support from across the political divide. Understandably most keenly felt in Fine Gael, who had nominated the former EU Commissioner last month. As stated both in her own statement and by the Tánaiste, Ms McGuinness decided to, and had to, prioritise her health. For a politician of over 20 years, and a career in journalism before that, the additional blow of this being her best shot at a job she so clearly wanted made it all the more poignant. Mairead McGuinness wanted to run in 2011 but dropped out to clear the way for Gay Mitchell. 2025 could have been her year, according to polls, but it's not to be. Where does this leave Fine Gael, who were far ahead of their partners in Government and their natural foes, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin? You could count Fianna Fáil there twice. I'm looking up at you Collins and Dev. Several senior Fine Gael ministers and former ministers say the party should and will field a candidate. Their Executive Council will meet shortly to choose the person and keep the momentum going. Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are biding their time. The feeling of TDs in both parties is they should nominate a candidate, but there are pros and cons to that. It costs a lot of money, and a significant spend is no guarantee of success. It might make sense to wait and see who Fine Gael chooses. Frances Fitzgerald says her decision remains the same as previously, and she won't seek the nomination. While MEP Seán Kelly says he will "most likely reconsider" his possible candidacy in the campaign "in light of Mairead's unfortunate withdrawal". Heather Humphreys is the name on everyone's lips, but she's keeping hers shut, for now. Michael Healy-Rae, the Independent minister, says she would make an excellent candidate, and would appeal to a wide base. That won't be music to any other potential contender's ears. If Simon Harris, or anyone else in Fine Gael could persuade Heather Humphreys to reconsider, it would certainly be an interesting development. Up until recently, this presidential campaign was sorely lacking in those.
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Catherine Connolly says we ‘cannot trust' the US, England and France
Presidential election candidate Catherine Connolly has said the European Union has 'lost its moral compass' and that we 'cannot trust' the United States , England and France . She said Irish people should resist a 'trend towards imperialism' in the EU, as the bloc is becoming 'increasingly militarised'. Ms Connolly, the only confirmed candidate for the upcoming election, has also renewed her criticism of Russia, Nato and countries such as the US,, the UK and France, when asked about her stance on certain international issues. Setting out her position in response to questions posed by The Irish Times, Ms Connolly said: 'The US, England and France are deeply entrenched in an arms industry which causes bloodshed across the world – as a staunch advocate for neutrality, this behaviour must be condemned.' During a Dáil speech last February Ms Connolly referred to Government plans to scrap the 'triple lock' on the deployment of Irish troops abroad – a proposal she opposes, arguing it threatens Ireland's neutrality. She agreed with another contributor that there are countries 'we certainly cannot trust' adding: 'America is one of those and England and France are others. READ MORE 'What is behind their motivation is simply an arms industry, more war' and 'making huge profits'. She said: 'That needs to be called out over and over.' The left-wing Independent TD is the only confirmed candidate in the race for Áras an Uachtaráin after Fine Gael politician Mairead McGuinness dropped out for health reasons. Ms Connolly, who has the backing of the Social Democrats, Labour and People Before Profit to enter the election, has long been a campaigner for Irish neutrality and has been vocal on the horror of the war in Gaza. Her stance on global issues such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine are coming under scrutiny now that she is running for president. The Galway West TD has condemned Russia and branded its president Vladimir Putin a 'dictator' during Dáil statements on the conflict and has spoken of the need to 'show solidarity with the people of Ukraine'. She has also strongly criticised the Nato military alliance, accusing it of engaging in 'warmongering' on the eve of the conflict. In response to questions on this, Ms Connolly said: 'Russia is conducting an illegal invasion of Ukraine – it must immediately end its horrific assault.' She also said: 'I have criticised Nato as its warmongering and escalation towards conflict over the years is at odds with achieving peace in regions across the world.' She accused US president Donald Trump of 'supporting Israel trampling on international law and reducing Gaza to nothing'. Asked if she would meet Mr Trump should he visit Ireland, Ms Connolly replied: 'If elected, I would meet all heads of state as mandated by the Constitution and the office of president.' She also said she supports the EU but argued that it has 'lost sight of its foundations: a project developed to promote and preserve peace'. She contended that: 'The EU has become increasingly militarised under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen and the European People's Party – this direction can only bring pain. 'As Irish people, we must resist this trend towards imperialism and show support for Palestine and Ukraine as Europeans. 'The EU has lost its moral compass.' Meanwhile, Ms Connolly has also been joined by former Independent TD Maureen O'Sullivan in defending a 2018 trip they took to Syria with then-fellow TDs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace at a time when brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad was still in power and a civil war was raging. Ms O'Sullivan said the trip was 'humanitarian visit' insisting: 'We weren't going there to support Assad.'
The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
Everything we know about the presidential election so far - and a few things we don't
ALTHOUGH THE PRESIDENTIAL election technically still hasn't started yet, we are finally beginning to see some momentum around it build. In recent weeks, a number of candidates and political parties have declared their intentions and this week we had the shock news that front runner Mairead McGuinness was withdrawing from the race on health advice. That decision has blown the race wide open and raises questions about who Fine Gael will chose as her replacement and whether it will impact the approach taken by Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil. Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission has begun gearing up its efforts to encourage people to get out and vote. So from who's in the running, to the polling date, and the finer print and election rules, here is everything we know about the 2025 race for the Áras so far. First things first, when will it be held? Under the Constitution, the presidential election has to take place by the date the current President's term of office ends and may not take place more than 60 days before the end of the current term. This means it must take place on or up to 60 days before 11 November 2025. The new president will then take office on 12 November 2025. Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O'Brien holds the responsibility of issuing the 'presidential election order' which will set the date for polling to take place. So who is officially in the race so far? To run in the presidential election a candidate has three possible routes. They must receive 20 nominees from Oireachtas members (senators or TDs); receive the backing of four local authorities; or be a former or retiring president (who can nominate themselves if they have only served one term). And remember, to be eligible a candidate must be aged 35 or older and must be a citizen of Ireland. Former EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness had secured the backing of her parliamentary party Fine Gael and was due to be ratified by her party in September. Following the shock news of her withdrawl, Fine Gael has said its executive council will convene on Sunday to consider its next steps. As of right now, Frances Fitzgerald, Heather Humphreys and Seán Kelly are the names at the top of the list to take McGuinness's place. For now though, Independent TD Catherine Connolly is the only candidate officially in the race. In mid-July, Connolly confirmed that she had reached the 20 Oireachtas nominations needed to launch a campaign. So far she has the support of the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and a handful of Independents. Who else has declared their candidacy? A number of other candidates have said they are running for president but have not yet secured a nomination. Millionaire pharma boss Gareth Sheridan this week launched his campaign, with glossy social media videos and a headline grabbing press conference in Dublin's Shelbourne Hotel. Other than Sheridan, former presidential candidate and Dragon's Den star Peter Casey has said he intends to run again and hopes to gain the support of four local authorities. Nick Delehanty, a candidate in last year's local election and general election candidate has also declared that he is running, but like Casey has not yet held an official campaign launch or any press conferences. Voters in Dublin may remember Delehanty's 'Make Crime Illegal' signs dotted around the capital during both campaigns. Advertisement The 35-year-old has so far raised over €25,000 via GoFundMe for his campaign, but wether he, Sheridan or Casey can receive the support of four councils remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor has also repeatedly said he is running to be president of Ireland. On the same day that he lost his appeal against the civil jury finding that he raped Nikita Hand, McGregor launched a petiton to change how the nomination process for the presidential election works. It is extremely unlikely that he will build the support required to secure a nomination. Other names reported to be considering a run are former Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and Riverdance star Michael Flatley. How does the Council route work again? To secure a nomination via the Council route, a candidate must get the backing of four of Ireland's 31 local authorities. It is at the discretion of each local authority to decide whether they wish to put forward a nomination and each councillor may only nominate one person. Usually council's hold hearings to allow candidates to make their pitches, these tend to be open to the public, but in the past some councils have chosen to hold them privately. Some councils have also opted not to hold hearings or nominate any candidate at all. This generally happens when a council is made up of a majority of councillors whose parties have already decided to back a candidate. So given that Fine Gael will be running its own candidate and Labour, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit are backing Catherine Connolly the likelihood that the councillors of these parties will nominate an outsider is unlikely. For example, a motion is set to go before Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council in Dublin next month proposing that the council does not to exercise its power to nominate a candidate. Other councils contacted by The Journal have said they will make a decision on when to hold hearings after the election has formally been called. What about the other parties? All eyes remain on Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin to see what approach they will take for this election. Sinn Féin is still signaling that it may throw its support behind Catherine Connolly, but in recent weeks party leader Mary Lou McDonald has refused to rule out running herself , leaving the door open that they might still run their own candidate. The party is set to announce its decision at the end of August. Fianna Fáil is also keeping coy on its approach. The party hasn't fielded a presidential candidate since Mary McAleese in 1997, but given its success in last year's general election there is a widespread view in the party that it should run a candidate this year. Sources in the party have expressed frustration that no decision has been communicated yet by party leaderships. One TD told The Journal that there has to be 'at least some pretence of engagement with the parliamentary party'. It's understood the party leadership is set to decide on its approach by the end of August. Elsewhere, the Green Party is currently consulting with its members about who it should support. This follows a meeting between party leadership and Catherine Connolly two weeks ago. Aontú and Independent Ireland are also keeping their cards close to their chests for now. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
