MARY Lou McDonald has refused to rule herself out as a potential candidate for this year’s presidential election.
The Sinn Fein leader admitted this morning that the party is “not ruling anything in or anything out” as Fine Gael opened its nomination process for the election.
This is a U-turn from her position in March when she told journalists that she would not be considering herself as a candidate.
Speaking to the press at the Four Courts in Dublin this afternoon, McDonald revealed there is a process underway in the party around the presidency.
However, she said the party are not making any comments on the names that have been mentioned for it.
Talking to the Irish Independent, she said: “We’re in this process, we’re not ruling anything in or anything out.
“As and when we have news for you around our own process and procedure and all the runners and riders, I’ve seen lots of people’s names mentioned, we’re not making any comment definitively on any of them, myself included.”
McDonald said Sinn Fein has conducted a party-wide consultation on the presidential election, and she has that report on her desk, with more work to do.
She revealed that they will have a better picture for what they are doing by the end of July and into August, just weeks before the election is expected to kick off in late October.
She said: “I now have a report back from that on my desk.
“We have to do a bit more work, and roll the process out, and I think over the next number of weeks, probably the end of July and into August, we will have a clearer picture of what we are doing.
“As you know, we have been in discussion with other political parties around the option of perhaps a joint candidate supported by all of us across the left or the combined opposition.
“We don’t have full clarity on this. It’s a moving picture.”
NOMINATIONS OPEN
This comes after Fine Gael opened their nominations today for candidates seeking to run in this year’s presidential election.
President Michael D Higgins‘ presidential term will conclude on November 11.
Despite the candidates not officially being unveiled until early September, Fine Gael will be the first party to begin the process of choosing a candidate.
In order to be nominated for the race, a candidate needs the nomination of 20 members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, 25 party councillors and five members of the executive council.
At the moment, it is expected that Mairead McGuinness and MEP Sean Kelly may seek a nomination.
The parliamentary party will have 55 per cent of the vote, compared to 30 per cent for party members and 15 per cent for council members, according to the party’s voting system.
The PBP-Solidarity and Social Democrats currently believe there will be a left-backed candidate in the election.
At the end of August, Fianna Fail will decide how to approach the campaign.
