Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has said it is “not at all” politically embarrassing for Taoiseach Micheál Martin to be backing Jim Gavin as the party’s presidential candidate over him.
Mr Kelleher said he has “enough to offer” to be an alternative candidate to the former Dublin football manager and is looking forward to “a robust debate” over the coming weeks.
Speaking on Cork’s 96FM on Monday, Mr Kelleher said it was important there was “voice and choice” around the discussion of who Fianna Fáil’s presidential candidate should be.
The Ireland South MEP announced last Friday his intention to run for president on behalf of his party. The Taoiseach confirmed on Saturday that he would be endorsing Mr Gavin to run as the Fianna Fáil candidate in the forthcoming election and said he has all the qualities necessary for the position.
RM Block
Mr Kelleher said that in advance of his own announcement he had been in contact with Mr Martin over previous weeks asking whether he was interested in running.
He said Mr Martin would be “the most brilliant candidate” for Fianna Fáil in the presidential election.
The MEP said it “didn’t come as a shock” that the party leader would be supporting Mr Gavin after he spoke with him again last Thursday.
“He [Mr Martin] outlined they would be announcing a candidate and that he was committed to that candidate at that stage because they had done the due diligence,” he said.
“They had been speaking to him for a period of time and he [Mr Martin] said that he couldn’t resile from his commitments.
“So I accept that, we live in a democracy in Fianna Fáil and there’s an opportunity now for us to put our name before the parliamentary party.”
Mr Kelleher also played down any potential tensions between himself and Mr Martin and said they had “a very professional relationship all our lives”.
He said Mr Martin had been very supportive to him when he started out as a TD in the 1990s.
“He [Mr Martin] has responsibilities to the party,” Mr Kelleher added. “He has to make decisions in what he thinks is the best interest in the party and I have to make decisions on what I believe I can offer as a candidate.”
The MEP said throughout his political career and life he had never “taken anything personally”.
“I like to keep it professional and in that context, I accept that Micheál has to make a decision in his own mind. He believes that Jim Gavin is the candidate and I believe that I have enough to offer to be an alternative candidate to Jim,” he said.
Mr Kelleher also said he would never give any thought to running as an independent candidate and that he was “Fianna Fáil to my fingertips”.
He said he intended to travel the country over the coming days to speak to the party’s TDs, Senators and MEPs.
