Independent candidates seeking to contest the presidential election face a crucial few days as the deadline for nominations looms next week.
Businessman Gareth Sheridan received a setback yesterday when Carlow County Council refused to nominate him, despite an intensive campaign there in recent days.
Mr Sheridan has received two of the four local authority endorsements he needs but must now secure the backing of two of the three county councils he has been targeting – Meath, Offaly and Louth – which meet on Monday.
The deadline for candidates seeking to contest the election to file their nomination papers is Wednesday, September 24th.
RM Block
“I’m no worse off than before I went into the council. I have the weekend to gather myself and go again next week. It’s still all to play for,” Mr Sheridan said, as he left the Carlow meeting.
There was better news yesterday for Kieran McCarthy, with the former lord mayor of Cork receiving a maiden nomination from Waterford City and County Council, and the conservative campaigner Maria Steen, who received a nomination from Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae.
This brought her to 12 of the required 20 Oireachtas members, and that number could be added to through the support of Independent Ireland’s four TDs.
One of them, Cork South-West deputy Michael Collins, said the group would meet Ms Steen on Monday. He added that he sensed movement among Independent Oireachtas members to help Ms Steen to enter the election race.
[ Gareth Sheridan’s presidential prospects dealt a blow in CarlowOpens in new window ]
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin will today announce its plans for the presidential election after months of deliberation. The party’s ruling ard comhairle is expected to approve a proposal to be brought to a meeting in Dublin this morning by leader Mary Lou McDonald.
Sinn Féin remained tight-lipped on its intentions last night, with ard comhairle members insisting they did not know what Ms McDonald would propose.
However, speculation inside and outside the party overwhelmingly suggested it would not nominate its own candidate and instead back Independent Catherine Connolly – a move that would provide a major boost to the Galway West TD’s campaign.
There has been intense speculation as to what Sinn Féin might do since Ms McDonald told reporters on Thursday its decision would be a “game changer”. She ruled herself out of contesting the election last week.
Ms McDonald said the person the party will get behind has “plenty of Irish”, leading to a focus on fluent speakers such as the party’s finance spokesman Pearse Doherty.
But the expectation was growing last night that Sinn Féin would row in behind Ms Connolly as a “left unity” candidate.
[ Can Sheridan or Steen get their presidential nomination over the line?Opens in new window ]
One intervention that fuelled this was remarks by MEP and ard chomhairle member Kathleen Funchion, who lavished praise on Ms Connolly.
“I have said before publicly I think we should support Catherine,” she told KCLR radio.
Ms Funchion said Ms Connolly is a person who “can listen to people that she doesn’t agree with” and as president would probably have to meet other leaders “that she might feel a bit uncomfortable with”.
“I think she’ll be well able to do that,” she added.
Despite her praise, Ms Funchion repeated that Sinn Féin’s decision would not be made until today, saying: “I should say that too before I lose the run of myself here.”
She later told The Irish Times she did not know what the party’s decision would be.
The Green Party has joined the Social Democrats, Labour and People Before Profit in backing Ms Connolly after its national executive voted in favour of doing so.
Party leader Roderic O’Gorman, the party’s only TD, said Ms Connolly “has a long track record of advocacy for vulnerable and marginalised groups within Irish society”.
“We have no doubt that she will continue to give voice to these groups if she is elected,” he said.
