Former MEP and minister of state Avril Doyle has announced her intention to seek the Fine Gael nomination in the upcoming presidential election.
Ms Doyle said she was best candidate to “credibly represent” urban and rural Ireland, and the core Fine Gael values of “honesty, integrity and decency”.
She joins former European Parliament president Pat Cox, Dublin MEP Gay Mitchell and Ireland East MEP Mairéad McGuinness in seeking the party’s nomination.
Sources close to Ms Doyle confirmed last night the former MEP had obtained sufficient support under party rules to go forward at the party’s convention in the Red Cow hotel and conference centre in Dublin on July 9th.
Announcing her candidacy today, Ms Doyle said she was unusual, “if not unique”, among the Fine Gael candidates in her background – being born and raised in Dublin, living and working in Wexford for thirty years.
She also claimed that, as one of the authors of European Union’s key climate change laws, she was a front line negotiator with governments across the globe.
“I was negotiating with Governments from China to Africa and from the Americas to Russia. I want to bring that experience to work for Ireland as a ‘trade ambassador’ to help restore our once proud reputation on the international stage as a place to do business and to create jobs.”
Ms Doyle has been a Fine Gael public representative for thirty five years, serving first as a councillor and former mayor of Wexford town.
She was first elected to the Dáil in the November 1982 election as Fine Gael TD for Wexford. She served as a Minister of State in the Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition governments of 1982–87 and 1994–97.
After losing her seat in 1997 general election, she was elected to the European Parliament at the 1999 elections and again in 2004. She also served as a member of the Seanad from 1989-1992 and from 1997-2002.
Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness said the next president would face into a new and more challenging era.
"With no disrespect to any of our previous Presidents, the next holder of the office will have to work even harder for Ireland than any of his or her predecessors," she said.
"There is a real opportunity for the next President of Ireland to apply the powerful yet soft leadership role afforded the office to support the Government and the people in leading our country back to prosperity; an all encompassing, sustainable prosperity."
Independent Irish-American hopeful Niall O'Dowd said yesterday the only practical method by which he could obtain a nomination was with the support of Oireachtas members.
The New York-based publisher said the demands of his business meant he had to persuade the requisite 20 TDs and/or Senators to sign his nomination papers rather than the alternative of getting nominated by four county councils.
With that in mind he met Fianna Fáil general secretary Seán Dorgan yesterday, and is scheduled to meet Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams and Mary Lou McDonald today.
Labour selected former arts minister Michael D Higgins at a party selection convention at the weekend.