Fianna Fail needs presidential candidate with ‘broad reach’, minister says

Fianna Fail would need a presidential candidate with “broad reach” beyond its own membership, a senior party figure has said.

Minister Thomas Byrne said he believes Fianna Fail should run a candidate “in principle” but added that whoever is selected must be able to win the election.

The party has yet to formally clarify whether it will run a candidate, with leader and Taoiseach Micheal Martin saying a decision would be made in early autumn.

Recent speculation relating to the party has raised questions over whether senior Fianna Fail figures would oppose a bid by former leader and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Meanwhile, former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin has been reported as being seen as someone who could be a party candidate with wider appeal.

Fianna Fail MEP Billy Kelleher also refused to rule himself out of contention on Tuesday.

Asked specifically if Fianna Fail leadership had decided it would not support Mr Ahern, Mr Byrne said the parliamentary party was due to have a discussion on the election “very, very soon”.

He told RTE’s Morning Ireland: “(We) will decide in the first place whether to run a candidate. And secondly, who that candidate should be.”

Mr Byrne said he had personally met a number of potential candidates.

He added: “In principle, I think Fianna Fail should run a candidate for the presidency but I think we have to be very, very clear that we want a candidate that not only would be a good candidate, but they can also win the presidency and be a good president.”

Mr Byrne said his party had support levels in the “lower 20s” in the general election but it would require more than 50% of the vote – after transfers – to win the presidency.

“That’s a high threshold to cross, and it is essential that whoever we run has the prospect of winning and to get more than double the Fianna Fail support at the last general election in order to win that election.“

Mr Byrne said that would have to be a candidate that has “broad reach across the country”, adding: “And it’s not just somebody who can get the Fianna Fail vote – it needs to be significantly more than that.

“So any candidate who’s coming has to tell me how they can bridge that gap.”

Meanwhile, Mr Kelleher told RTE’s Today With Claire Byrne that he had been approached by parliamentary party colleagues about potentially running for Fianna Fail.

Asked if he was ruling out a bid, Mr Kelleher said he did not give it any personal consideration but added: “If a party approached a person and asked them, you know, obviously you would have to give it serious consideration.

“I’ve been a member of the parliamentary party since 1993, I’ve given my life to the party, the party has been very good to me.

“The point I make is, if you were approached, well, obviously you would have to give it consideration.”

Mr Kelleher stressed that he had not been asked to run by the party leadership.

“What’s most important to me is that we have a candidate that the party can be very proud of, that they found themselves in terms of having robust scrutiny, and then that we can go out and campaign for a candidate that represents our values as a political party and our philosophy.”

Pressed if that might be him, Mr Kelleher did not immediately answer directly before his telephone was cut off but said: “Look, we want somebody that’s pro-European, pro-enterprise and supports the rule of law.”