Kelleher and Gavin face FF vote for presidential nomination tomorrow

Public expenditure minister and Fianna Fáil deputy leader Jack Chambers has said he believes Jim Gavin will be his party’s presidential nominee, but he will canvass for “whoever is the candidate”.

Mr Chambers was speaking to The Echo after a Mallow Chamber of Commerce business breakfast at Springfort Hall.

The 71 members of Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party are meeting in Leinster House tomorrow when they are due to select a candidate for next month’s presidential election.

The two prospective candidates are Mr Gavin, the former Dublin Gaelic football manager, and Ireland South MEP Billy Kelleher.

With 36 votes needed to secure the nomination, Mr Gavin has the support of Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, as well as declarations of support from 31 other parliamentary party members.

Mr Kelleher has six declarations of support, including his own, and the meeting to decide on a candidate will begin at 11.30am, with the vote held by secret ballot.

Mr Chambers, the deputy party leader, has been reported to have been canvassing parliamentary party members on behalf of Mr Gavin, and yesterday he said he believed the former GAA man would be the Fianna Fáil candidate.

He said he did not believe Mr Martin had made a mistake in not letting backbenchers know his thinking before announcing Mr Gavin as his preferred candidate, by which time Mr Kelleher had already declared his intention to seek the party nomination.

“He said he would set out strategy at the end of August and that’s exactly what’s happened. He said that in July,” Mr Chambers said.

“I think we’ve two excellent candidates, and we’ve obviously an internal process and contest.

“I’ve been very clear, I believe Jim Gavin is Fianna Fáil’s best chance of winning the presidential election, he has my full support.

“I also have huge amount of time for Billy Kelleher as an MEP and as a former colleague in the Dáil, but it is a matter now for all our parliamentary colleagues, and it’s great that we’re having a contest and we’ll know the candidate at some stage tomorrow.”

Asked about comments from justice minister Jim O’Callaghan, who had said he was backing Mr Gavin but might later be proven wrong to do so, Mr Chambers said he had no doubts about the former Dublin candidate’s electability. 

“I think Jim Gavin has a huge amount to offer as a potential first citizen of our country,” he said.

“He’s vastly experienced across many areas, in terms of his role in the Defence Forces, his understanding of the constitution, and also his ability to represent Ireland abroad if he is made the president.

“I think people will see the huge capability of Jim Gavin as a person if he makes it through the Fianna Fáil process around his candidacy.”

Asked if he would canvass for Mr Kelleher, should the Cork man win the parliamentary party nomination, Mr Chambers said he would.

“I’ll canvass for whoever is the Fianna Fáil nominee and respect the decision of the party,” he said.