Her pro-neutrality and often anti-Western agenda could prove a point of attack for her opponents, given how she often has traveled in the jet stream of Ireland’s far-left fringe, most controversially in a 2018 visit to Syria that featured zero criticism of the dictator then in charge, Bashar al-Assad.
The outcome of Ireland’s presidential election — which the government could schedule at any time between September and early November — will depend on whether Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin decide to field their own candidates.
Martin, the great survivor of Irish politics currently serving his second term as taoiseach, has repeatedly dismissed any ambitions of “retiring” into the presidential role.
Under the terms of his party’s coalition deal with its traditional rivals Fine Gael, Martin can remain government leader until late 2027, when he must give way to Simon Harris, the Fine Gael leader and current minister for foreign affairs and trade. Most expect the 64-year-old Martin, party chief since 2011 and a Cork lawmaker since 1989, to pass the Fianna Fáil reins to a successor by then.
Yet Martin also has devoted much of his energy over the past decade to thwarting the rise of Sinn Féin, whose own leader McDonald has fallen short of power in the last two general elections and faces a political crossroads. Some analysts think if McDonald runs, Martin could be tempted too.
Both Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are canvassing members internally, seeking a consensus on whether they should run candidates and, if so, whom. A verdict from both camps is expected within weeks.
The most vocal would-be presidential candidate, former mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, may be U.S. President Donald Trump’s favorite — but the anti-immigrant blowhard almost certainly won’t be on the ballot.
That’s because Ireland’s presidential election rules require eligible candidates to demonstrate backing from at least 20 members of the country’s parliament or at least four of Ireland’s 31 councils. McGregor hasn’t achieved any such backing, and the system doesn’t accommodate write-in candidates.