Nominate candidate for presidency - Kildare Co Council told

Councillor Seamie Moore has requested that Kildare Co Council nominate a candidate for the presidency.

The politician said that elected members of the local authority should use their mandate on behalf of the people.

A candidate only needs the support of four local authorities in order to run for the Park.

Cllr Moore said a nomination by the Council would be in the interests of 'openness, transparency and inclusiveness'.

The candidacy of outgoing president Michael D. Higgins has been backed by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour.

Sinn Féin has begun the process to select a candidate to contest the election.

Independent Senator Gerard Craughwell today pulled out of the presidential election race because he said he can’t afford the campaign.

The former teacher said the timing of President Michael D Higgins’ announcement that he would run again had left him without enough time to get a “deal in place”.

Pieta House founder and Independent Senator Joan Freeman, artist Kevin Sharkey, and Senator Pádraig Ó’Céidigh have all been linked with the race.

Candidates looking to secure a nomination to contest the race must receive a nomination from 20 TDs or Senators, or alternatively from four local authorities.