Independent presidential hopefuls have criticised Fine Gael’s instructions to its councillors to vote against the nomination of new candidates at special local authority meetings as “undemocratic” and “disappointing”.
Prospective presidential candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members or four councils to get on the ballot paper in the election to succeed President Michael D Higgins.
As the second-largest party in local government, the intervention from Fine Gael headquarters potentially narrows the path to nomination for various Independents hoping to enter the race.
Fine Gael has selected former minister Heather Humphreys as its candidate in next month’s election.
Fianna Fáil, which has slightly more councillors than Fine Gael, has been urged by businessman and presidential hopeful Gareth Sheridan not to issue similar instructions to its local representatives to vote against new candidates entering the race.
Former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin and Ireland South MEP Billy Kelleher will vie to be Fianna Fáil’s candidate during a meeting of its parliamentary party on Tuesday.
Mr Gavin has significantly more publicly declared support, including that of party leader and Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and the candidate will be selected by secret ballot.
One prospective Independent candidate, former solicitor Nick Delehanty, argued the Fine Gael move to seek to block its councillors from facilitating new candidates entering the race is “undemocratic”, during an interview with Newstalk radio on Sunday.
He suggested both he and Mr Sheridan are “rank outsiders” and asked: “what are they [Fine Gael] afraid of?“
Mr Delehanty contended: “It’s an aggressive move. It’s not in the spirit of democracy.”
He later clarified that it is the bookies and “maybe the media” that categorise him as a “rank outsider” and he believes he has “a groundswell of grassroots support” citing crowdfunding that has raised around €35,000.
Mr Delehanty estimated there are about 15 local authorities where Independent candidates could still be nominated should they be facilitated by Fianna Fáil councillors. However, if that party sends out a diktat similar to Fine Gael’s “then the numbers go down to zero”.
Speaking on the same broadcast Mr Sheridan said Fine Gael’s move was “predictable”.
He said from the conversations he has been having with councillors “they were willing and open and ready to facilitate the democratic process and to abstain essentially … So it’s a little bit disappointing.”
Mr Sheridan questioned if such instructions to councillors “will become the norm going forward” and asked if “the only presidents we’ll ever be able to choose from will come from within the walls of Leinster House”.
He added: “I think that’s a dangerous precedent to set.”
He also argued: “If Fine Gael were really confident in their own candidate Heather [Humphreys] they would allow a fair and just competition to take place and let the electorate decide, because ultimately, it’s the people of Ireland that should choose the president of Ireland.”
He said Fianna Fáil issuing similar instructions to its councillors would definitely make the route to a nomination “more difficult”.
Mr Sheridan added: “It’s not impossible by any means. And I’m sure there are councillors up and in the country that are feeling, you know, as irritated with this as we would be.”
He said: “I would urge Fianna Fáil not to follow suit and to allow democracy play out.”
Fine Gael’s instructions to its councillors came in a message from the party’s general secretary, John Carroll.
He wrote: “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 at 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.”
Meanwhile, a Fianna Fáil councillor and municipal district mayor has called on Waterford City and County Council not to allow former MMA fighter Conor McGregor to seek their backing in next month’s presidential election.
The council has announced that it will hold a special meeting for presidential hopefuls on Friday. September 19th. Those looking for a nomination will be allowed to give a five-minute presentation before councillors, who will then be able to question the candidates for 10 minutes.
It is understood that more than a dozen presidential hopefuls have applied to attend the meeting, including Mr McGregor.
The metropolitan district mayor, Fianna Fáil’s Adam Wyse, told WLRFM that Mr McGregor should not “even be considered for a presidential nomination. His record is one of violence, vulgarity and vanity, and the very idea of him as president is an insult to the Irish people”.
Cllr Wyse pointed out that the presidency is meant to embody “dignity, compassion and respect”.
“(Mr) McGregor offers only chaos, controversy and a circus. Allowing him to use our chamber as a platform would be a mistake. I am calling on my fellow councillors to join me in refusing him a hearing,” he said.