Fine Gael has told its councillors to block the nomination of Independent presidential election candidates at special local authority meetings around the country.
Presidential hopefuls 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.
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Several councils plan to hold special meetings to hear from Independent candidates over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
Kerry County Council will hold the first of these special meetings on Monday, with 12 presidential hopefuls expected to attend including businessman Gareth Sheridan, former solicitor Nick Delehanty and barrister and conservative campaigner Maria Steen.
Councillors in Kerry will vote on who, if anyone, they will nominate at a meeting on Monday, September 15th.
There is a hope among Independent presidential hopefuls that some Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil councillors will abstain from local authority votes on nominees to facilitate them entering the race.
In a message to Fine Gael’s councillors, the party’s general secretary John Carroll has told them to vote against Independent candidates being nominated.
He wrote: “With regard to the nomination of candidates by Local Authorities, the Executive Council of Fine Gael has decided – after considerable discussion and consultation with the 31 Fine Gael Council Groups – that the following position will apply:
“That, as Fine Gael has a candidate for the Presidential Election, Fine Gael public representatives are only to nominate the Fine Gael candidate.
“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.”
In a statement on the Fine Gael move a party spokesman said it would be “unfair to individuals seeking nominations from Oireachtas members and local authorities not to clearly outline our position”.
He also said: “Heather Humphreys is an excellent candidate and will make a great President of Ireland.”
