With the President, Mrs Robinson, scheduled to leave office on September 12th next, preparations are continuing to find her successor. The Government has decided that the presidential election will take place on Thursday, October 30th. The closing date for nominations is September 30th.
Despite demands for reform and more democratisation in the method of selection, it already seems clear that the presidential election will be the customary battle between those candidates nominated by the three main political parties. The constitutional provisions governing the nomination of a candidate for the presidency could scarcely be more restrictive. Potential candidates must be nominated by at least 25 people who are members of the Houses of the Oireachtas - i.e. TDs or Senators - or by the Councils of at least four administrative counties. There is one other important restriction; candidates must be over 35 years. None of the 840,000 people aged between 18 and 35 are deemed fit to hold the office, a restriction that the National Youth Council of Ireland rightly depicts as undemocratic, unnecessary and unfair.
In its report last year, the Constitutional Review Group recommended that some alternatives might be explored in order to "loosen the nomination procedure". One option would be to allow a specified number of voters to nominate a candidate. The other would be a reduction in the number of Oireachtas members required to support a nomination. While in opposition, the Progressive Democrats, were in the vanguard of those seeking some reform of the nomination procedures for the presidency. The party leader, Ms Harney, expressed concern that the presidency might relapse into a party political retirement post. "We need a hands-on presidency which is engaged with the people", she said. The failure to amend the system of nomination for the presidency places a further responsibility on the political parties to select a candidate who can build on President Robinson's ability to personify a new, more self-confident and more pluralist Ireland.
With some exceptions, most of those seeking the nomination from the main political parties will probably fail to enthuse the majority of voters. Some are well-established party political figures for whom the presidency might be seen as a kind of political consolation prize. Others are well regarded and respected within the party rooms, but their ability to inspire and captivate the public at large is, at best, uncertain. In all the circumstances, there is a clear danger that the presidential election campaign will be fought out on familiar ground - on allegation and counter-allegation about the past - instead of being used to articulate a vision for the future.