Left-leaning parties in the Dáil are likely to nominate their own preferred candidates to stand in the presidential election rather than gather around an agreed candidate, a meeting of Opposition leaders has heard.
Opposition leaders met on Wednesday evening in Leinster House to discuss their approach to the election, which is likely to take place in late October or early November.
The meeting was attended by: Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald; acting Social Democrats leader Cian O’Callaghan; Labour leader Ivana Bacik; Paul Murphy from People Before Profit (PBP): and Roderic O’Gorman of the Green Party.
The Social Democrats and PBP indicated they were close to the end of their internal processes. Mr Murphy is understood to have told the meeting the party would likely endorse Independent TD Catherine Connolly if she declared her interest.
RM Block
The Social Democrats are also close to completing their process and, while it has not been stated it publicly, it is likelythey would also be minded to back Ms Connolly.
Ms McDonald, Ms Bacik and Mr O’Gorman indicated their internal deliberations have yet to be completed and it could be late summer, or early autumn, before they declare their intentions.
The leaders did discuss leading candidates, with the Independent Senator Frances Black also being mentioned.
“I would say that Catherine Connolly is the front-runner at this stage,” said a source.
Ms Connolly has said she would keep an “open mind” about running if she could “unite the Opposition”.
The source saidit was likely that individual parties would nominate their preferred candidates and that it would then be up to other Opposition parties, who have not declared, to come on board at a later stage.
That happened in the 1990 election when Mary Robinson was endorsed by Labour, and later by Democratic Left. It also happened in 1997 when the Progressive Democrats announced several days after her nomination, that the party would support the Fianna Fáil candidate, Mary McAleese.
A person with knowledge of the meeting said that the Sinn Féin leader “kept her cards close to her chest” and that Ms McDonald did not give an indication of what the party’s intentions would be.
Mr O’Gorman also said his party was currently considering its position.
