INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL hopeful Mary Davis has secured a pledge of support for her nomination from Monaghan County Council, with Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and independent councillors backing her efforts to become a candidate.
This follows her success in obtaining a commitment from Louth County Council last Thursday to support her nomination. A minimum of four county or city councils, or at least 20 Oireachtas members, will be required when the Minister for the Environment makes an order in September for the holding of the election within the 60 days before the expiry of Mrs McAleese’s term of office on November 10th.
In her address to Monaghan council, the Special Olympics executive said she had never been a member of any political party, devoting her energies instead to community and voluntary work.
“We need a president who can help to build and renew ourselves at home, inspire hope and belief and promote and develop community, a president who can also represent us on the international stage,” she said.
She had worked for 30 years to “make change happen by tearing down walls of discrimination” for people with an intellectual disability. There was “an extraordinary energy” in the community and this was shown when Ireland staged the World Special Olympic Games in 2003.
Voluntary work was “the oxygen that drives social change here in Ireland” and she pledged to “bring Áras an Uachtaráin to the village and towns across the island of Ireland”.
Sinn Féin councillor Pat Treanor proposed that the council “indicates its intention to give our support to the nomination of Mary Davis when the presidential election order is made”.
Given the summer recess, he said it was “important that candidates who are reliant on county council support have some indication as to whether they will be in a position to be nominated when the elections are called”.
Fianna Fáil councillor Padraig McNally said his party had indicated to its members on local authorities that they were “free to nominate as we wish”.
While supporting the nomination of Ms Davis, he said that it was “probably most likely that Fianna Fáil will run their own candidate”.
Fine Gael’s Cllr Hugh McElvaney said: “That is a fine lady, there’s no doubt about it, and she came across very well.” However, Fine Gael was also contesting the election and, “I won’t be joining today in selecting my opposition”. The pledge to nominate Ms Davis was supported by 14 councillors (seven Sinn Féin, five Fianna Fáil and two Independents) with four Fine Gael councillors abstaining and one Fine Gael member, Cllr McElvaney, voting against.
Another Independent hopeful, Seán Gallagher, was expected to be present but chose instead to address Leitrim County Council; he has already secured nomination pledges from four councils.
Meanwhile, Ireland East MEP Mairéad McGuinness said she had the “rock solid” support of 40 out of 99 members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party but would not be naming them. The Fine Gael selection convention takes place on Saturday in Dublin and the electoral college is divided between parliamentarians, local authority representatives and members of the party’s executive council.
However, another Fine Gael contender, former MEP Avril Doyle, said: “This will go down to the wire and a lot of minds will be made up at next Saturday’s convention. I won’t be found wanting on that occasion.” Ms McGuinness said: “I’m absolutely confident that I have the strong support of Oireachtas members and my support is growing. Having looked at the figures very critically, conservatively I have 40 who are rock solid.”
“Members, particularly parliamentary party members are being encouraged by Enda Kenny not to make public declarations in the interests of party unity.”
