Taoiseach Micheál Martin has announced that he intends to support Fine Gael’s Presidential hopeful Heather Humphreys in the upcoming Presidential election, reports Breaking News.
While speaking during a visit to Millstreet in County Cork on Friday, Mr Martin was reserved about whether this would mark his first time backing a Fine Gael candidate. He remarked that he had “made his point”, adding that anything beyond that pertained to the “privacy of the ballot paper.”
Mr Martin emphasized that his support for Heather Humphreys reflected his “personal position.”
“In terms of my own personal position – and it will be a personal decision – I am pro-European passionately, I am pro the European Union. I am pro the enterprise economy. Heather is closest to that orientation. And that is important as the European situation is central to the transformation of Ireland over the last fifty-odd years. There have been two things that have transformed Ireland in terms of education from the Minister Donogh O’Malley years onwards, and membership of the EU. I think a number of our MEPs have said something similar in that regard. It is the underpinning of our economic performance – and I think Catherine (Connolly) has been quite anti-European,” reports Breaking News.
At the same time, Mr Martin rejected the idea that the presidential race amounts to a verdict on the Government.
“People will vote for the person that they think will serve the country best as President. People understand the constitutional basis of the Presidency and the role of the Presidency in terms of the functions of the Presidency. People actually do distinguish between a Presidential election and every other type of election. Obviously, some opposition parties are trying to do that to create certain advantages, maybe electorally or politically. That sentiment actually undermines the Office of the President,” reports Breaking News.
The Taoiseach also highlighted that he would not be instructing Fianna Fáil members on how they should vote on October 24th, following party nominee Jim Gavin’s withdrawal from the contest.
“When you start telling people how to vote they they generally go in the opposite direction. They don’t like being directed. A person’s right to vote is a very precious (thing) individually. We (Fianna Fáil) won’t be directing in any shape or form. I just know from political experience that it is not the correct approach,” reports Breaking News.
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