Michael D declares - A second Áras term beckons
It is not surprising that President Michael D Higgins is to seek a second term. His first comes to an end on November 10 and if there is to be an election to it must be held no more than 60 days after that date.
Mr Higgins may be returned to office without an election as none of the major parties want to run a candidate — Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil support Mr Higgins — though Sinn Féin has hinted they might offer one or possibly support an Independent candidate.
If there is a campaign, Mr Higgins will be asked — probably repeatedly — what has changed since 2011 when he assured the electorate he would not seek a second term if elected.
He will also have to field question after question about his age. He is 77 but as he has shown no sign of being limited by age he may well turn this to his advantage in an Ireland with an aging population.
These are, in the grand scheme of things, secondary issues and if Mr Higgins feels physically capable of another seven years in office, and if he can emulate his impressive performance over his first term, then it seems that anyone hoping to replace him will face an exceptional challenge.
At a moment when leaders around the world, near and far, seem so ineffective and insular, ignorant or simply wrong a leader, even if only a figurehead leader, of Mr Higgins’s stature, experience and commitment to humanity is something we can all be, and could be again, proud of.
