Jim Gavin beats Cork's Kelleher in tighter than expected vote to be FF candidate for Áras
Gavin, left and Kelleher, right. The vote, which was taken in the party’s rooms in Leinster House, was much tighter than had been expected by senior party members.
Former Dublin GAA football manager Jim Gavin will be the Fianna Fáil candidate for president, having beaten Ireland South MEP Billy Kelleher in a secret ballot of the 71-strong parliamentary party by 41 votes to 29.
The vote, which was taken in the party’s rooms in Leinster House, was much tighter than had been expected by senior party members.
Going into the meeting, Mr Gavin had the declared support of more than 30 members, including Taoiseach and party leader Micheál Martin, and all of the senior Cabinet ministers.
Mr Kelleher only had public declarations of support from five party colleagues - MEP Barry Andrews, TDs Pádraig O’Sullivan, James O’Connor, Peter Cleere and senator Paul Daly.
Mr Kelleher’s supporters had claimed in advance of the vote that they believed he would have the backing of 27 parliamentary party members.
President Higgins will complete his second and final term as president on Tuesday, November 11. The presidential election will take place on Friday, October 24.
Mr Gavin’s selection brings to three the number of candidates now confirmed for the election.
Galway East Independent TD Catherine Connolly has the backing of Labour, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, while Fine Gael has declared former minister Heather Humphreys its candidate.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said on Monday that she will not be her party’s candidate.
Sinn Féin is expected to announce its intentions on whether it will run its own candidate or support another on September 20.
For candidates to get on the ballot, they need the nominations of four of Ireland’s 31 local authorities, or at least 20 Oireachtas members.
Multiple candidates have said they will seek nominations from the 31 local authorities, but their path seems far from clear, with Fine Gael telling its councillors to vote against Independent candidates, and councillors from Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin thought unlikely to vote for other candidates.
App?
