County Councils across the Shannonside region will each hold a special meeting to hear from candidates hoping to secure a nomination for President. Longford, Leitrim and Roscommon are three of at least twenty local authorities which are expected to hold such meetings. To get onto the ballot, candidates must be either nominated by four local authorities or secure the backing of 20 members of the Oireachtas. The window closes at midday on 24 September, ahead of the election on 24 October. Both Roscommon and Longford County Councils will host meetings on Monday, September 15th. Prospective candidates will address Leitrim Councillors on the 22nd of September.
Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys and Galway West Independent TD, Catherine Connolly are currently the only two candidates on the ballot paper. Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher and former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin will formally go head-to-head for the party's nomination in a secret ballot later today, after which the party will declare the winning candidate. Last weekend, Fine Gael instructed its 246 councillors around the country to block the nomination of potential independent presidential candidates. While Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told her party colleagues at the weekend she won't be putting her name forward.
