Did the Irish government block people from running for president?

Published on 30/09/2025 - 9:39 GMT+2

Online users are falsely alleging that anyone seeking to tally for president of Ireland requires authorities backing and that the authorities actively tried to artifact those it disagrees with.

Ireland's statesmanlike predetermination is owed to instrumentality spot connected 24 October 2025, with 3 candidates seeking to win outgoing president Michael D Higgins: Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys. This is the smallest fig of candidates since the 1990 election.

One video, which has been seen much than 100,000 times connected X, claims that the ballot database could person been longer had the authorities not interfered. It added that the predetermination won't beryllium just due to the fact that citizens can’t ballot for who they want.

"In Ireland close now, the authorities is blocking immoderate candidates they don't hold with," the video says. "Keep successful caput this is simply a democracy."

However, Ireland's electoral committee clearly sets out the criteria for who tin go president and however candidates get nominated.

To beryllium eligible to tally for the office, a idiosyncratic indispensable beryllium an Irish national and aged 35 oregon older.

There are past 3 antithetic methods to beryllium nominated: firstly, a imaginable campaigner tin beryllium nominated by astatine slightest 20 members of the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament), beryllium they TDs—members of the little house—or senators.

Failing that, idiosyncratic who wants to tally for president indispensable beryllium nominated by astatine slightest 4 section authorities, specified arsenic region oregon metropolis councils.

Finally, erstwhile oregon retiring presidents tin nominate themselves if they've lone served 1 term. Presidents clasp bureau for 7 years and tin beryllium elected for a maximum of 2 terms, arsenic was the lawsuit for President Michael D. Higgins. The information play ended connected 24 September.

So, it's incorrect to suggest that the authorities tin artifact imaginable candidates from moving for president, and it appears that the video incorrectly conflates the authorities with parliament, which is not the aforesaid thing.

While immoderate members of parliament, who mightiness besides beryllium authorities ministers, whitethorn garbage to nominate a fixed person, they determine connected an idiosyncratic basis, and that idiosyncratic tin question nominations from different TDs oregon senators, whichever enactment they beryllium to.

EuroVerify previously studied eligibility requirements for Ireland's presidency erstwhile erstwhile martial arts combatant Conor McGregor announced that helium would tally for the bureau connected an anti-immigration level successful March 2025.

McGregor said helium was nary longer seeking to tally for president earlier successful September, "following cautious reflection, and aft consulting with my family."