BREAKING | 
Tanaiste Simon Harris (Brian Lawless/PA)
Simon Harris is officially banning Fine Gael councillors from helping any Independent candidates get on the presidential election ticket.
The dictate is a major blow to Independents becoming candidates via the council route.
Among the Independents potentially seeking a council nomination are Bob Geldof, Maria Steen, Conor McGregor, Nick Delahunty and Gareth Sheridan.
A candidate needs the backing of 20 Oireachtas members of four councils to be nominated.
But Mr Harris’s party has instructed its councillors that if there is a vote to back an Independent they must “oppose that nomination”.
Sinn Fein appears to be adopting a similar approach of not supporting Independent.
And Fianna Fáil may go down the same route.
Councillors from these parties may rebel against instructions from the leadership but there are unlikely to be enough for candidates to get a majority of a council – let alone four.
A candidate would need the backing of at councillors from at least two of the big parties on most councils to get on the ticket.
Mr Harris’s senior official in party headquarters sent out the dictate yesterday.
Tanaiste Simon Harris (Brian Lawless/PA)
Today’s News in 90 seconds – 6th September 2025
“Fine Gael public representatives cannot in any way facilitate the nomination of any candidate other than the ratified Fine Gael candidate.
“In the event of a vote of any local authority on the nomination of a person other than the ratified Fine Gael candidate, the Fine Gael local authority members are whipped to oppose that nomination,” the email from party general secretary John Carroll said.
The email said the decision had been taken by the Fine Gael ruling body “after considerable discussion and consultation” with party councillors.
Fianna Fáil and Sinn Fein have not yet issued an official instruction to councillors.
Sinn Fein figures have said they are not opposed to Independents getting nominations – just not with the help of their councillors.
Fianna Fáil is also likely to encourage their councillors to stay away from helping independents.
The process of independents going to councils seeking a nomination will start next week.
In the last presidential election, 20 councils voted to nominate an independent candidate to be on the ticket.