Presidential Election 2025

Polling had her at 3%.

That's not a "significant" anything, minority or otherwise.

And ~3% is about where the various right wing candidates landed in the last few elections as well.

So perhaps they should focus on actually building support instead of moaning on Social media about the apparent lack of democracy somehow blocking their rise.

So.. Now we have an actual Election campaign..

I think it's a "First Preference" win for Connolly or bust.

If doesn't get the majority on the 1st count she needs to be very very close to have any chance.

She will struggle to pick up much if any, transfers from HH/JG so if she's looking for more than a handful of votes on the 2nd count she's goosed.

If she tops the poll (or second) , then the transfers from the lower of HH/JG will push the other over the line.

Conversely , if she's the 1st one eliminated , it's hard to see where her transfers might go..

Not sure who'd benefit more - neither of the other candidates seems like an obvious second choice for Connolly voters

Apologies for the large copy/paste from AI Search , but below is the details on the nomination process for all the EU Countries.

Only 10 Countries in the EU have direct elections and almost all of them follow a format similar to Ireland.

Those that do have "public" nomination pathway seems to require a very large number - The lowest is 6k Signatures in Austria , up to 100k signatures in Poland.

The process for nominating a presidential candidate varies greatly across EU countries, depending on whether the president is elected directly by the public or indirectly by a legislative body. Here is a breakdown of the common nomination methods:

Direct Popular Election Countries

In countries where the president is elected by a direct popular vote, candidates must meet specific eligibility criteria and typically need a certain number of signatures from citizens or elected officials to get on the ballot.

• Austria: A candidate must submit at least 6,000 signatures from eligible voters.

• Czechia: A candidate can be nominated with the signatures of 50,000 citizens.

• Finland: A candidate may be nominated by a registered party that won at least one seat in the previous parliamentary election, or by a constituency association of at least 20,000 enfranchised citizens.

• France: Candidates must gather the signatures of 500 elected representatives from at least 30 different departments or overseas territories.

• Lithuania: A candidate must be supported by at least 20,000 signatures from citizens or be nominated by a political party.

• Poland: A candidate's nomination must be supported by the signatures of at least 100,000 citizens.

• Slovakia: A candidate can be nominated by at least 15 members of parliament or by a petition with signatures of at least 15,000 citizens.

• Croatia: Candidates must obtain a sufficient number of endorsements from Croatian voters.

• Romania: Candidates are typically nominated by political parties, but independent candidates can run by collecting a certain number of signatures.

• Ireland: Candidates can be nominated in one of two ways: by not less than 20 members of the Oireachtas (parliament), or by the councils of at least four local authorities (city or county councils). A former or retiring president can also nominate themselves.

Indirect Election Countries

In countries where the president is elected by a parliament or an electoral college, the nomination process is tied to the legislative body itself.

• Estonia: A candidate for president must be nominated by at least one-fifth of the members of the Riigikogu (parliament).

• Germany: The president is elected by the Federal Convention. Candidates are nominated by a group of its members, usually based on the support of political parties.

• Greece: The president is elected by the Hellenic Parliament. Candidates are typically put forward by political parties.

• Hungary: A candidate requires a written nomination from at least one-fifth of the Members of Parliament.

• Italy: The president is elected by a joint session of the two houses of parliament and regional representatives. Candidates are not formally nominated, but rather emerge from political negotiations and caucuses. A candidate needs a sufficient number of votes in the early rounds to be considered.

• Latvia: Candidacies are submitted to the Presidium of the Saeima (parliament). The process involves a great deal of political negotiation among the parties represented in parliament.

• Malta: The president is appointed by a resolution of the House of Representatives. The nomination is a political decision made by the government in consultation with the opposition.

Constitutional Monarchies

As mentioned previously, countries that are constitutional monarchies (Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden) do not have a president and therefore do not have a presidential nomination process. The head of state is a hereditary monarch.