Fianna Fáil Senator withdraws from race for presidency
Fianna Fáil Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú has today withdrawn his name as a prospective candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
In a statement, Mr Ó Murchú said he was on course to get the required 20 nominations from both Fianna Fáil and Independent Oireachtas members.
The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party is meeting to decide its position on the presidential race. The party previously agreed not to field a candidate.
Mr O Murchú said: “Last week, in requesting Fianna Fáil, which will not have its own candidate, to allow a free vote to facilitate my entry into the presidential election, I suggested a moratorium of 24 hours, prior to a decision being taken, to allow for a consensus to emerge through consultation.
“This request could not be accommodated.
“Following meetings with Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and speculation in the media about his leadership, I do not wish to prolong uncertainty within Fianna Fáil.
“I will not, therefore, continue to seek nominations from individual Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members.
“In the absence of such nominations, I could not achieve the 20 nominations required.”
The Senator is currently languishing in last place on BreakingNews.ie's online poll, with a mere two votes out of 1,910.
