The path for Independent candidates seeking to win the required four endorsements from county and city councils has greatly narrowed after the “Super Monday” round of meetings.
Councillors on a number of local authorities, including Roscommon, Longford, Cork City, Galway City and Dublin City, opted not to nominate anyone.
Businessman Gareth Sheridan became the first Independent candidate to secure a local authority’s nomination to contest the presidential election.
Mr Sheridan received a nomination from Kerry County Council but lost out in Co Laois, where councillors voted against helping him to enter the race to succeed President Michael D Higgins.
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Meanwhile, former mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor said on Monday he was ending his campaign to contest the election, claiming the process is “fixed”.
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He claimed the eligibility rules in Ireland’s “outdated Constitution” were a “straitjacket” that prevented a “true democratic presidential election being contested”.
He had been expected to address last night’s special Dublin City Council meeting along with other prospective candidates.
Conservative campaigner Maria Steen told the meeting there would be no “truly independent” candidate on the ballot paper unless councils or Oireachtas members gave someone a chance. She said she was not asking councillors to vote for her in the election or to “endorse every view point”, but that she believed she could be a “unifying president”.
Ms Steen is said to be halfway to securing support from the required 20 Oireachtas members to contest the election.
Independent Minister of State Seán Canney on Monday suggested he would not be adding his name to the list, reiterating his support for Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys when asked if he might nominate Ms Steen.
In relation to what other Government-supporting Independents might do, Mr Canney told Virgin Media Television: “We don’t have any whip – and we may agree on certain things – but what people will do in terms of nominations for presidency, it’s up to each individual.”
Fianna Fáil candidate Jim Gavin told reporters at the party’s think-in in Cork that the Government’s performance on housing “is not good enough yet” and needs to improve.
He said he would, if elected, speak out “without fear or favour” on issues such as housing and seek to follow the example of Mr Higgins, but added that he was aware of the constitutional restraints of the role.
Earlier, Kerry County Council became the first local authority to nominate a candidate. Cllr Niall O’Callaghan said he was proposing Mr Sheridan, describing him as a deserving candidate – a young person experienced in business and life. The nomination was seconded by Cllr Martin Grady, who said Mr Sheridan was taking the role of president seriously and had come across well in his presentation to councillors last week.
No vote was taken on Mr Sheridan specifically as the council had previously decided it would approve a nominated candidate.
A Sheridan campaign source insisted he is “still in the mix” to secure the backing of four local authorities and that he is “in pole position” among the Independent hopefuls.
He is expected at Tipperary County Council’s meeting on Tuesday along with several others. Fine Gael’s councillors in Tipperary will reportedly defy instructions from party headquarters to vote against Independents seeking to enter the race.
Fine Gael’s group leader in Tipperary, Cllr Willie Kennedy, said they would decide this morning “as a group” what to do.
He appeared to play down the prospect of any widespread rebellion in the party. He said Tipperary Fine Gael’s councillors will “not necessarily” follow the party’s instructions but also that they “probably won’t be too far from it”.
He said the councillors wanted to wait to hear from the candidates.
“We’ll wait and see. It’s good manners to at least listen to people.”
