Presidential Election 2025

What do you mean, 'what happens' ?

Nothing happens. The polls are taking in people that aren't nominated and won't ever be. The polling will be split 10 ways.

It'll be four candidates and neither Humphreys nor any other actual candidate will take any heed of them until nominations are closed and the contest fixed.

Yeah it would have ended anyone else’s political career. And tarnished standing within the party. Nevermind outside it. But it speaks volumes of the mindset of SF the “struggle” and “strategy” laid out by Adams will not be disrupted no matter what. And I cannot remember a politician that had such control for such a long period, bar DeValera.

I suppose SF will normalise eventually. But they have to wait for those in NI and the boarder counties to “catch up”. Their mindset is way behind that of even SF in the majority of the ROI.
If I was to guess I would say there would be a “New SF” type President in Aràs, before SF land Taoiseach.

Actually it is as the party’s councillor’s were democratically elected into an office subject to a whip

Same with other parties

I just hope it's a democratically picked candidate, not a dictat from some unknown group outside the party!

FG are running a candidate and they want their candidate to win. By narrowing the field, they increase the chances of their candidate winning. It is a whip system, like they use in the Dail.

People voted for FG candidates in council elections knowing that they would serve the interests of FG and this is one such instance.

If people are unhappy with FG using the power the electorate granted them then they should vote differently the next time.

The "the contest fixed"? A poor choice of words. If the support for Humprheys in the next poll is around that of FG's 17% (Irish Times/Ipsos-B&A), will it explain this move by Harris?

Surely a strong candidate would be able to defeat all challengers even independent ones?

Rubbish.

This isn't 2018. The major parties didn't run an opponent against Michael D to give him a clear run, except SF cos they're thick and like pissing away money, so facilitating independent aspirants was a very different thing.

As I've already said, Fine Gael or any other party nominating from their Oireachtas numbers, but allowing their own DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED Councillors to enable opponents to get into the field would be PATENTLY EFFING ABSURD.

And so I say to you and Eoinbmw and jmcc and all the rest, if you have a problem with Article 12.4 of the Constitution which has framed this process for almost 90 years, get up off your bums and begin a campaign to bring about a referendum to change it.

You've got 7 years, beginning..........now.

I'm baffled that some people are saying this is an attack on democracy - FG has a candidate of its own, so why would it allow its councillors to nominate a rival? To me, it makes perfect sense (and I'm no longer an FG supporter.)

Perhaps if a decent candidate was out there looking for council nominations, I'd feel differently, but this time around, it only looks to be delusional people (Donnelly), people who've left the limelight and want their name back in the media (Donnelly (again) and Flatley), people looking to promote their business interests (Sheridan) and right-wing nut jobs (McGregor) who are (or were) looking for nominations. I'm happy they're being kept out, they're turning the election into a circus.

you don't expect FF to issue a similar instruction even if Gavin is surging ahead in the polls?

"Aontú, for example, is backing Steen at local authority level, despite the fact the party does not agree with her opposition to marriage equality or divorce."

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/09/06/presidential-hopeful-maria-steens-views-on-social-issues-could-alienate-potential-allies/

This is ridiculous. Really doesnt help Aontu's attempt to appear moderate.

When did Catherine Connolly get nominated by councillors?