‘Not good for democracy’ - Presidential hopeful Gareth Sheridan slams government parties

Presidential election hopeful Gareth Sheridan has slammed the government parties for ‘blocking’ local authority nominations.

The independent candidate has received two of the four local authority nominations required to secure a place on the presidential ballot.

His most recent nomination came from Tipperary County Council, where Fine Gael councillor Mary Hanna Hourigan controversially went against party orders in choosing to vote in favour of nominating Sheridan.

Having announced the candidacy of Heather Humphreys, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris instructed party councillors not to nominate a candidate through the local authority route.

Although Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin didn’t announce a similar diktat, many Fianna Fáil councillors are choosing to follow their Fine Gael counterparts in refusing to nominate any other candidates.

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However, Mr Sheridan believes that this policy of blocking local authority nominations is “not good for democracy”.

He stated: “The unprecedented level of interference by government parties in the presidential election nomination process is undermining the office of the Presidency and compromising the integrity of the electoral process.

“The current scenario of a three-horse race, with two of the runners from the Government stable, is far from satisfactory, stifles robust and respectful debate and undermines the authority of the eventual outcome.

“The Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael tactics of directly interfering and covertly influencing the local authority nomination route, usurping the Constitutional mandate of councillors under Article 12.2.2. runs the grave risk of tarnishing the Presidency.”

Mr Sheridan concluded by saying that the people of Ireland should have a full spectrum of candidates to choose from come election day.

The independent candidate is due to speak at meetings of Meath County Council, Louth County Council and Offaly County Council later today.

There is some uncertainty over his Louth appearance, due to his failure to provide the required documents on time.

However, Mr Sheridan’s team has maintained that the issue should be resolved in time for the meeting.