Conservative campaigner Maria Steen is just two nominations away from having enough support to contest the presidential election after another Senator confirmed he will facilitate her entry into the race.
Senator Aubrey McCarthy confirmed on Wednesday morning that he will nominate Ms Steen.
As of Wednesday morning Ms Steen had 18 of the 20 nominations from TDs and Senators she needs to get on the ballot paper, but time is running out.
The deadlines for nominations is noon and in reality Ms Steen needs to have the 20 signatures before then in order to have time to lodge papers at the Custom House.
Senator McCarthy said that his nomination should not be interpreted as an endorsement of Ms Steen’s campaign but as a commitment to ensuring an open and democratic election.
“I don’t know Ms Steen and I have met her for the first time yesterday evening,” he said.
“This decision is not an endorsement of her or her campaign, but I believe that candidates deserve the opportunity to make their case to the voters, and the voters deserve the right to decide who is best suited to serve.”
More to follow…