Presidential hopefuls are meeting members of Leitrim County Council today in a bid to gain a nomination. To be eligible to run, candidates must get the support of four local authorities. So far, Leitrim Councillors have heard from 12 candidates. They are Maria Steen, Abbas Ali O’Shea, Gearoid Duffy, Aidan Harrington, Charlie Keddy, Seana Kerr, Searlait Ní Chianáin, Lorna McCormack, Sarah Louise Mulligan, Diarmuid Mulcahy, Gerben Uunk. Dolores Cahill, William P Allen, Walter Ryan Purcell and Peter Casey failed to show up for their allocated time slots.
Candidates have five minutes to present their case with then two questions allocated to Councillors. Speaking first and remotely, Maria Steen says she would be 'a genuinely independent voice', should she be elected. She also promised to 'seek unity when we can'. Among those who spoke were Aidan Harrington, who lives in Cavan says he 'doesn't have a script writer or €750,000', the role of the president is 'a moral compass' and he'd 'connect the role of the president to the ordinary person'. Lorna McCormack, outlined 'leadership is not about power, it's about connection' and the resident must 'stand among the people'. Once all candidates have made their presentation, there will be a short break and councillors will decide whether or not to nominate a candidate for the presidency.
