FIANNA FÁIL PARTY leader Micheál Martin said in a statement that his party will take its time in choosing a candidate to back for the coming presidential election.
Martin said that because the election is not due to be held until towards the end of the year, the party would spend the next month deciding a “definitive party position on the nomination”.
The TD said the party would not “be taking the same approach as other parties as they seek to block the nomination of independent candidates” because Fianna Fáil believes people are “entitled to have as wide a choice” as possible.
Martin downplayed the influence party association with particular nominees would have on the election outcome:
The first and most important point is that we see the presidency as being above politics. The success of the office has been defined by the ability of its holders to be unifying national figures. Equally, party labels are increasingly less important in influencing the outcome of presidential elections.
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