The Jim Gavin Withdraws from Ireland's Race for the Presidency
In a stunning development, a key primary hopefuls in the Irish race for president has left the campaign, upending the election dynamics.
Sudden Exit Shakes Up Political Contest
The party's presidential hopeful pulled out on the evening of Sunday following revelations about an outstanding payment to a past renter, turning the race into an volatile head-to-head battle between a moderate right ex-minister and an independent leftwing member of parliament.
Gavin, 54, a inexperienced candidate who entered the race after professional experiences in athletics, flying and armed forces, withdrew after it emerged he had neglected to refund a excess rental payment of 3,300 euros when he was a property owner about a decade and a half ago, during a period of financial difficulty.
"I made a mistake that was inconsistent with my values and the standards I set myself. Corrective actions are underway," he said. "I have also thought long and hard, about the potential impact of the current political contest on the welfare of my relatives and acquaintances.
"After evaluating everything, I've chosen to exit from the campaign for president with immediate effect and return to the arms of my family."
Race Narrowed to Two Main Contenders
A major surprise in a presidential campaign in modern times reduced the field to one candidate, a past government official who is running for the governing moderate right party Fine Gael, and Catherine Connolly, an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights who is supported by a political party and left-leaning minor parties.
Crisis for Leadership
Gavin's exit also triggered a crisis for the prime minister and party head, Micheál Martin, who had risked his standing by choosing an inexperienced hopeful over the doubts of fellow members.
He commented it was about not wanting to "create turmoil" to the presidential role and was correct to step down. "He acknowledged that he was at fault in relation to an issue that has emerged recently."
Election Challenges
Even with a track record of capability and achievements in business and sport – Gavin had steered Dublin's Gaelic football team to multiple successive wins – his campaign had stumbled through missteps that left him trailing in an survey even ahead of the debt news.
Individuals within Fianna Fáil who had been against choosing Gavin said the episode was a "serious miscalculation" that would have "consequences" – a barely concealed caution to Martin.
Ballot Process
His name may stay on the voting paper in the poll taking place in late October, which will finish the long service of President Higgins, but voters now face a binary choice between a mainstream moderate hopeful and an non-aligned left-leaning candidate. Opinion research conducted ahead of the withdrawal gave Connolly a third of the vote and Humphreys nearly a quarter, with 15 percent supporting Gavin.
According to voting regulations, the electorate chooses contenders based on preference. Should no contender surpass a majority in round one, the contender receiving the lowest first preference votes is removed and their ballots are redistributed to the next preference.
Possible Ballot Shifts
It was expected that should Gavin be removed, the bulk of his support would transfer to Humphreys, and the other way around, boosting the chance that a pro-government candidate would attain the presidency for the allied parties.
Role of the Presidency
The role of president is a largely symbolic post but Higgins and his predecessors made it a venue for worldwide concerns.
Final Contenders
Connolly, 68, from Galway, would add a firm left-leaning stance to that tradition. Connolly has attacked neoliberal economics and remarked Hamas is "a fundamental element" of the Palestinian community. She has charged Nato of militarism and likened Berlin's enhanced defense expenditure to the 1930s, when Germany underwent rearmament.
The 62-year-old Humphreys, has faced scrutiny over her performance in government in cabinets that oversaw a housing crisis. Being a member of that faith from the border county of Monaghan, she has also been faulted for her failure to speak Gaelic but stated her faith tradition could help win over Northern Ireland's unionists in a reunified nation.
