Former cabinet minister Heather Humphreys will be the Fine Gael candidate for this year’s presidential election, the party has confirmed.
Ms Humphreys secured the overwhelming backing of Fine Gael TDs, Senators and MEPs, leading to her only rival for the candidacy, Seán Kelly, dropping out of the race on Monday.
Mr Kelly said he made his decision after it became clear that he could not generate the 20 signatures necessary to make it on to the internal ballot paper and challenge Ms Humphreys, who had already secured more than 40 public pledges of support.
Her name will now go forward for ratification at a Fine Gael event to take place on Saturday, September 13th – which will also mark the official campaign launch.
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The Department of Housing has also confirmed that polling day will be Friday, October 24th, with Cabinet set to approve this on Wednesday.
Minister for Housing James Browne briefed Coalition leaders on the planned date on Tuesday.
Ms Humphreys, a former credit union manager from Co Monaghan, was co-opted on to Monaghan County Council in 2003, succeeding local Fine Gael TD Seymour Crawford. She was elected as a TD for Cavan-Monaghan at the 2011 general election.
In a statement to Fine Gael members, Ms Humphreys – who initially ruled herself out as a potential candidate after retiring from politics following last year’s general election – said she was “delighted” to receive the Fine Gael nomination for the presidency, ahead of the official ratification of the candidacy next week.
“I’m not promising perfection but I promise honesty, compassion and service,” she said.
“I love this country, it has made me everything I am and given me everything I have. My campaign will focus on my life experience as I ask citizens to trust me with their vote to be President of this great country,” she wrote.
“I will be a candidate with a vision; with experience and with a track record of supporting communities; bringing people together and representing Ireland on the world stage.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Fine Gael leader and Tánaiste Simon Harris congratulated Ms Humphreys and said she was a “woman of integrity, dignity and heart”.
He added: “In an increasingly divisive world, I believe Heather can break down barriers and bring people together. Her record in public life has demonstrated that vision of unity and community.”
A Presbyterian, Ms Humphreys was appointed to cabinet during her first term as a TD, becoming minister for arts, heritage and the Gaeltacht by Enda Kenny. However, her elevation was also marked by an immediate controversy over the appointment of a Fine Gael activist to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
John McNulty, who had no background in the arts, was placed on the board at the same time as Fine Gael were seeking to appoint him to the Seanad’s cultural panel. The move led to charges of a political ready-up and Ms Humphreys struggled to handle the controversy that raged afterwards.
However, she went on to hold ministerial positions in the Department of Enterprise, Social Protection and Rural and Community Affairs, as well as serving as minister for justice during Helen McEntee’s maternity leave.
Ms Humphreys was well regarded by colleagues in government during her time at cabinet, and seen as a canny political operator who merged a homespun political style with effective negotiation tactics, especially at budget time.
Ms Humphreys is expected to make a virtue of her time in several cabinet positions, her strong links to rural Ireland, and her background as a native of the Border region.
The Opposition has already signalled that they will seek to associate her with the unresolved crises in healthcare, housing and other areas of policy which Fine Gael has presided over since 2011.
However, she is also likely to face questions over her alleged handling of a complaint from a prison services whistleblower while minister for justice, her intervention in an alleged animal cruelty case that was subsequently dropped and her role as director of elections for the failed family and care referendums.
A controversial and subsequently mothballed planned reform of disability payments will also feature, as will her hiring of a second cousin as an adviser and her clash with Save Moore Street protesters during the 1916 commemorations.
