Press statement: Gareth Sheridan Thanks Kerry County Council for Nomination

Gareth Sheridan Thanks Kerry County Council for Nomination

“I am so grateful to Kerry County Council to receive the honour and responsibility of their nomination to contest the Presidential election”, said Independent Presidential hopeful, Gareth Sheridan, 36. “I am now focussed on winning nominations from three other Councils. However, the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael block makes it very difficult but I am not deterred and our plan is working. We have worked for months on a strategy with Independent Councillors as to where we could engineer a result even if there was a block in place.”

Sheridan is the first candidate to be endorsed by a local authority under Article 12.2.2 of Bunreacht Na hÉireann with a nomination to be on the Ballot Paper for the Presidential election on October 24th.

Fine Gael under instructions from leader, Tánaiste Simon Harris, were blocking any nomination and were joined in that block in Kerry by their Government colleagues, Fianna Fáil. Therefore, the first vote held was a proposal that Kerry should not nominate any candidate. However, that vote was resoundingly defeated, 18 against and 14, for by a rainbow of opposition and independent councillors.  As Gareth Sheridan was the only proposed and seconded Candidate he secured the Kerry County Council the Nomination. 

Sheridan speaking in Portlaoise in advance of his address to Laois County Council later this afternoon quipped, “it is ironic that the Fianna Fáil candidate, Jim Gavin, appears to be only happy to enter this All Ireland contest, the Presidency, by blocking most of the Counties from taking part. Jim Gavin and Heather Humphries are really strong candidates, I don’t see why they are so worried about a young candidate such as myself contesting the Presidential election.”

ENDS.

Any queries, please contact John Whelan, Media Liaison & Communications.

Phone: 087 2509663  Email: media@sheridanforpresident.ie

(A brief text or WhatsApp message may be the best way to ensure a prompt response if the phone line is engaged. Thank you).