Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors in Laois “are unlikely to deviate from party lines” and allow a pathway for an independent candidate receive a nomination to run in the upcoming presidential election, according to a well-placed council source.
Securing the backing of four county councils is the main route for an independent candidate to get on the ballot paper. The support of Laois has been mentioned by Garreth Sheridan, the Dublin native and founder of US-based Pharma company Nutriband, who launched his campaign this week.
Sheridan says he has support of six to eight councils and it’s understood that he is including Laois in this figure.
However, a well-placed local council source has strongly denied that that is the case, saying “the chances of an independent candidate receiving a nomination in Laois are very remote”.
Laois County Council did provide Gemma O’Doherty with a nomination in 2018 (with four votes and the remainder abstaining), though she failed to receive the support of any other local authority and duly couldn’t run.
In 2011, Laois were one of the four councils to back David Norris. In 2018 neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael had a presidential candidate, while only Fine Gael had a runner in 2011.
And with those parties now set to field someone on this occasion to fill the vacancy left by the departing Michael D Higgins, those parties are left with a decision: do they abstain and allow an independent candidate get on the ballot, or do they use their vote at council level to block that.
For a Gareth Sheridan to get the support in Laois, he would need the likes of the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors to abstain if they weren’t voting for him.
“Contrary to media reports, no decision has been taken by Laois County Council to nominate a particular candidate for president, if indeed the Council will nominate anyone,” said the source.
“There is a clear majority of 11 councillors between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, who will be voting in line with their parties nationally.
“It would be very unlikely for either party to deviate in Laois from the approach taken by either party at national level, meaning that the chances of an independent candidate receiving a nomination in Laois are very remote”.
Independent councillor Aisling Moran has stated her support for Sheridan while other councillors Ben Brennan, Tommy Mulligan and James Kelly – who were all active supporters of Moran’s General Election bid last November – are potential backers too.
Though it doesn’t exclude their council support for someone like Sheridan, two other Laois councillors – Marie Tuohy (Labour) and Caroline Dwane-Stanley (Independent Republican) – are linked to the bid of Catherine Connolly, the Independent TD from Galway.
Labour nationally have decided to support Connolly (who is a former member of the party), while Caroline’s husband, Brian, is a visible presence during Connolly’s media dealings and was one of the TDs who has backed her through the Oireachtas route to a nomination. The Social Democrats, People Before Profit and a number of Independent TDs are also behind her campaign.
No date has been set for the presidential election yet but it is expected to be in October or November. The Laois County Council meeting to decide whether they are supporting a candidate or not will be held in September.
Fine Gael this week lost Mairead McGuinness as a candidate and are now in the process of seeking a replacement while Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have yet to decide who they are running.
Peter Casey, the Independent candidate who came second in 2018, is also currently contacting county councils around the country while Michael Flatley has indicated he may do also.
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