Roscommon County Council will host a special meeting on Monday next, September 15th, at 11 am to hear from Independent presidential hopefuls seeking support for their nomination.
Each candidate will be given ten minutes – five for a presentation and five for questions – to make their case to elected members. Under the Constitution, a presidential candidate must be nominated by either 20 Oireachtas members or four local authorities.
15 prospective candidates have so far expressed interest in addressing the Roscommon meeting.
Roscommon County Council has 18 elected members, and the controlling group of the council consists of five Fianna Fáil councillors, four Fine Gael councillors and three Independent councillors. Fine Gael councillors nationwide have been directed not to support Independent nominations, with Heather Humphreys already selected as the party’s candidate. Fianna Fáil has yet to issue guidance; however, if the votes in other councils are indicative of a national trend, it is not likely that Fianna Fáil councillors will facilitate an independent candidacy.
In Mayo, a motion from Aontú councillor Deirdre Lawless to nominate barrister Maria Steen was defeated by 19 votes to five. Meanwhile, Kerry became the first council to host formal pitches, with 14 speakers appearing. A vote on nominations there has been deferred until next week.
The presidential election takes place on Friday, October 24th.
