Presidential election: Nearly a fifth of voters do not know who to vote for, poll reveals

Eva Osborne

Almost a fifth of voters say they do not know who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election, which will take place on Friday, October 24th.

The latest Ireland Thinks/Sunday Independent opinion poll gives Fine Gael's candidate, Heather Humphreys, a narrow lead at 21 per cent.

20 per cent voiced their support for Catherine Connolly and Jim Gavin respectively, while 39 per cent said they do not know who to vote for.

Jim Gavin, Mary Lou McDonald, Catherine Connolly, and Bob Geldof make up the top five on a list of candidates and would-be candidates.

Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are set to finalise their candidates this week.

MEP Billy Kelleher and former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin will go head-to-head in a secret ballot on Tuesday.

Sinn Féin is expected to announce whether it will put forward its own candidate tomorrow.

Over a third of voters thinks it should, according to the Ireland Thinks/Sunday Independent opinion poll, while a fifth think Sinn Féin should endorse Catherine Connolly.

Speaking on Newstalk, professor of politics at DCU, Gary Murphy, said he thinks Fianna Fáil was right not to back Bertie Ahern.

"He's Fianna Fáil past. And there are people voting who weren't even born when Bertie Ahern last ran for an election in 2007.

"So what would it say of Fianna Fáil as this new vibrant party under Micheál, and remember in Fianna Fáil currently, it's usally what Micheál wants, Micheál gets.

"And I just think it would have sent the signals that Fianna Fáil is not forward looking, but is sort of stuck in a weird sort of a loop."