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LAST UPDATE | 28 Aug 2018
Source: Sam Boal
THE IRISH PRESIDENTIAL election is to be held on Friday, 26 October, it has been confirmed.
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy confirmed the news this morning on RTÉ's Today with Miriam O'Callaghan.
In a statement, Murphy announced that he had made a Presidential Election Order, setting out key dates in the election process.
The last date for receipt of a nomination is 26 September while the winner of the 26 October election will be inaugurated two weeks later on 11 November 2018.
Murphy has appointed Barry Ryan as the Presidential Returning Officer.
Numerous prospective candidates have declared their intentions to challenge incumbent Michael D Higgins in the coming election, including businessman Gavin Duffy, activist Kevin Sharkey, independent Senator Joan Freeman, and journalist Gemma O'Doherty.
Higgins himself declared his intention to seek re-election in June.
Since the signing of the presidential election order, the nomination period commences on 30 August and closes 28 days later on 26 September.
In order to get onto the ballot, a candidate must secure the backing of 20 elected representatives (TDs or Senators) or four county councils.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have both stated that they will back Higgins in his re-election bid.
Sinn Féin meanwhile is expected to announce its own candidate in due course, with much speculation the person put forward will be MEP Laidh Ní Riada.
People who are eligible to vote in the upcoming election but are not registered still have time to apply get onto the supplementary register.
Application forms can be downloaded here.
With reporting from Adam Daly
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Thats the most work the Housing Minister has done since he got the job!
@Danny Gormley: He did turn around a three bed apartment and subsequent house for a mother and 7 kids in no time…..now that takes a bit of effort.
@Danny Gormley: I just don’t get why he hasn’t the class to quit. His incompetence/ideology is destroying children and families lives.
If I had a job I couldn’t do, i might stick at it but not if it hurt people just to benefit me.
FFG shameless animal.
@Danny Gormley: no mention of Gemma ODoherty on rte I on the sham Miriam o Callaghan’s show just now.
That’s how I know the establishment are genuinely afraid she gets in.
@Jim Ni Suilleabhain: why would he quit? He’s implementing government policy exactly as they want. I’d say he’s a hero in FG
@Danny Gormley: Looking forward to Higgins answering some questions this time.Especially about his auld buddy Fidel and why he thinks he needs another seven years.
@Danny Gormley: The winner of the 2018 presidential election will be housed at the Arus, so I suppose that’s why the announcement of the forthcoming election was made by the Housing Minister.
Pleased that we have choice – democracy wins!
@John Flood: Maybe, but the choices available are poor. Most of them appear to have no notion what the role involves. Let the pantomime commence.
@Clifford Brennan: Roger that, the people standing seem to be oblivious to the tangible elements of the role and are putting forward thier own ideas for new initiatives – which may be good – without realising they are under qualified.
@John Flood: vote gemma
@John Flood: we should do a starwars and clone Higgins, keep him there for good, maybe even a VR version… save a fortune!
@Jim Ni Suilleabhain: I’d rather spoil my vote than give it to an antivaxxer
@Clifford Brennan: so say you, I’ll wait for all of the electorate to speak…
@John Flood: What democracy???
Cant wait to see the country destroyed with campaign posters…they need to be banned!
@tweetforjunk: its all ready destroyed with Fg cronyism
@tweetforjunk: I agree they ain’t pretty but how else would people be made aware of the candidates some people don’t really pay attention to the news so the posters are the main way they learn. How would you advertise candidates if posters were banned ?
@Jake Kelly: Do we want people voting if their only knowledge of a candidate is from campaign posters?
@Jake Kelly: in today’s day and age there is no need for them. Everything can be done online and/or with canvassing if needs be.
Hope Gemma O Doherty makes the ticket. It would be nice to have someone with others interests at heart other than her own. She would be a good diplomat as well. Anyone bar Sharkey. I wonder who will stand for Sinn Féin? Pity FF members don’t seem to back O Cuív. Unless SF come up with someone spectacular, I’ll be backing O Doherty if she makes the ballot.
@Tomás Ó Cárthaigh: Gemma O Dohery an honourable woman, hope she makes it.
@Tomás Ó Cárthaigh:
She has my vote.
@Tomás Ó Cárthaigh: The only one of the candidate with credibility. the debates will be colourful when she shows them all up.
@Tweed Cap: anyone but that ape from dragons den
@Sean Conway: Yea with her anti-vax ideas. Be a great day for her when HPV takes over.
@Tomás Ó Cárthaigh: gemma hasnt a clue about the job and is both anti abortion and anti-vax, not to mention all the other conspiracy theories she subscribes to
@Tomás Ó Cárthaigh: can’t take her seriously with her anti vax views.
@Maggie Elizabeth Walsh:
She’s anti corruption in public offices. That trumps everything else for me. Wether the media vax witch hunt against her is false or not.
@Tweed Cap: it’s not false so it’s not really a witch hunt.
@Tweed Cap: Well, that’s all we need to know about you then.
Michael D gonna walk it.
@Kj bar: No other candidate will survive the debates
@Kj bar: and rightfully so.
So an extra day off for teachers and schools on their mid-term break.
@C_O’S: literally just left a similar comment – such a joke! Why can’t it be done on a Saturday – too much stress and expense for working parents
Only schools that are are used as a polling station will close. All others will remain open. But I agree, elections should be held on weekends.
@Deirdre: schools are closed anyways it’s on during the mid term break!
@Karen Browne: opps sorry there not!! It’s the week before midterm!
No poster please.
There’s a few weeks for the potential challengers to take a few minutes and read up on what an Irish president actually does.
No reality show contestants / presenters !
@John Judd: No FF / FG / labour politicians or former politicians !
@John Judd: Gavin Duffy, Dragons Den! Similar enough idea to that eejit over the pond!
@John Judd: I’ve a better idea: let’s select our next president through a reality show. Send them all off to the jungle for a month or even better, love island.
@Adrian: Personally I couldn’t give a shit who gets it as it is meanless .On the other hand I think it should be a protest vote against the continuing collaboration of ff-fg. So I will vote for anyone who has no association with these parties. Oh I forgot you can include liebour as well.
Oh isn’t that perfect for the teachers, an extra day off before the midterm after working a tough 7 weeks after a gruelling summer off
@Deirdre: become a teacher.
@Deirdre: Become a teacher and you’ll get the same benefits. For the record, only schools that are used as polling stations will close. The vast majority will be open.
@Padjii: no thanks. I would prefer if the government woke up and fixed the education system
@Deirdre: it’s not a race to the bottom you know. Teaching is not as easy as some would have you believe
@Deirdre: Start by telling us what’s wrong with it.
@Mark Gearey: Holidays being based on the days that children were needed for the farm – closed for 2 months summer holidays at primary level and 3 months at second level is a joke. Kids are just sitting around doing nothing. What’s worse is this is before all the other breaks, which occur roughly every 6 weeks. The financial pressure this puts on families who have both parents out working is outrageous. It’s also very disadvantageous to the students, they have just settled back into a routine and they get a week or two off.
Some teachers claim that they work throughout these holidays but I know many teachers, all in different schools who go on holidays EVERY single break. Ive asked them do they not need to plan, the say ‘Sure that’s just a night before job”
@Mark Gearey: Why should the rest of us only get approx 22 days a year and teachers get 3.5/4.5 months? And we have to listen to teachers complain at every chance they get. I am not for one second saying their jobs are not stressful and that they don’t work extra hours but there is not a profession out there that is any different. It is an absolute farce and it has to change. Teachers claim that they are constantly working evenings and weekends so why not extend the school year and they will have more time to teach the curriculum. Saying that though, if you go into any school in the few weeks before they are due to finish for Christmas or Summer, you will find a whole load of nothing going on!! They’ll be watching a film or having a party. So it’s hard to know what to believe with teachers
@Mark Gearey: in my 8 years at primary school and 6 years at secondary school, I never once saw an Inspector from the Department of Education visit the school unless the teacher was on Teaching Practice. Teachers are not evaluated enough.
The curriculum is outdated at both levels. There is a huge jump between 6th class and 1st year, there needs to be more of a transition. the difference between 6th year and college is frightening.
Students at second level are just taught to cram the material into their brain, put it down on the page and then it’s forgotten again. Anything learned for summer tests is forgotten over the summer and they have to start again in September.
@Mark Gearey: Students are not taught anything about the real world. They should come out of school knowing how to do a CV, how to work out the taxes on their payslip, how to apply for a mortgage – how to survive in the real world!
Is that enough for you?
@Deirdre: The holidays are there because these are little kids who need to be educated, not baby sat…. children get really tired near the end of term, anyone with kids will know that… the holidays are for the children, a break from education. School days are tough on kids, they need the breaks…maybe the children should go to school from 8-6 everyday, and a half day on Sat, just to make sure that people like you cannot give out about teachers and they re holidays… shur it’s not about the kids at all… forget about them…
@Caroline Redmond: No Caroline, the holidays are as long as they are as it dates back to when children were needed to help on the farm. Schools in every other country are in until mid July. 3 months at secondary level is an absolute joke. There is no need for them to be that long
@Deirdre: look up the OECD information on teaching hours and you will find that as a country we are right up there amongst the top for teaching hours both secondary and primary…. lazy teachers must be a world wide phenomenon…. people should be told about this
@Deirdre: look up the OECD information on teaching hours and you will find that as a country we are right up there amongst the top for teaching hours both secondary and primary…. lazy teachers must be a world wide phenomenon…. people should be told about this….
Good. The arrogance & sense of entitlement from Michael DEEEEEEEEEE & the left & liberals to the Presidency without question is astounding. Let’s wait & see if RTÉ & the rest of the media will do a hatchet job (again?) to make sure our Castro loving champagne socialist, MDH, gets his second term.
@Declan Carroll: First you call him a liberal and then you call him a socialist! Make up your mind!
@Tony Stanley: modern day liberals are socialist leaning.
@Declan Carroll: The sense of entitlement from our President who took a pay cut of 23.5% from the usual Presidential salary and donates his Oireachtas pension to the state?
@Declan Carroll: Could you give some examples of the “arrogance and Sense of entitlement” from The President, considering he does not even take is full salary?
Brillant. Another distraction for Paddy!
Good investment for Gavin Duffy a few million at the end of the seven year term any dragon would jump at that
#miggeldyforpres
Please ban all posters and banners
Let the mayhem begin
Where do i send my CV..
Probably won’t vote
@The less I know the better: then you don’t get the chance to bitch and moan about it
@The less I know the better: You need a slap….
I’m going with Dana Rosemary this time!!!
Fianna Gael will not run a candidate but sure isn’t Gavin Duffy running that’s enough for them after all his company has represented a few FG members and I’m sure DOB will give him a dig out even though he’s “ remortgaged “ his house
Sinn Féin MEP is Liadh not Lidh.
Hoping O Cuiv runs he’s got my vote
Make Ireland great again!!!
Was hoping for a couple of weeks of national togetherness before we start being divided once again as a nation for the nth time this year.
Ah well…
More dirty linen to be washed in public from all sides!
@Sean Leonard: Sh17 the bed stuff?
Any body remember that program many years back ( Yes Minister )
So true its not a job that gives the holder of the Title of President much Power . They dont even have to think for themselves
Anyone but Michael D. Yep, the nodding donkey with the ridiculous accent! Robbed us blind with his round the world holidays! Another entitled para site!
Given that the Irish President has negligable powers, then why does Ireland not permit all its citizens to vote for President regardless of where they live?
Depriving Irish citizens who live overseas of the Presidential vote and then inviting them back to Ireland (home) via the Tourist Board on a holiday simply says “we want your dollars but not your vote!” Not nice…eh?
I’d like to see M.D.H stay on .. I think he’s a very likable man .I don’t wanna see anyone else with an ego looking for something to gain
@Brendan Oconnor: To cost the tax payer another 30 million?
Michael D. To row the votes ashore,
the rest will be left treading water.
have your say