Gareth Sheridan has announced he is withdrawing from the Presidential election, after failing to secure the required nominations from four local authorities.
In a statement this afternoon, Sheridan confirmed his exit from the contest, saying he respected “the democratic process and the decisions made by our councils.”
“I respectfully withdraw from the Presidential election having failed to secure the required nominations from four local authorities,” he said.
“While I am disappointed by the outcome, I respect the democratic process and the decisions made by our councils.
“I extend my heartfelt thanks to the councillors who supported my nomination, to those who engaged with my vision, and to the many members of the public who offered their encouragement along the way.
“I wish all remaining candidates the very best in the campaign ahead, and I thank the people of Ireland for the opportunity to take part in this important democratic process.”
Sheridan’s hopes of progressing to the ballot ended today after a string of county council meetings. In Offaly, councillors voted by 11 to 5 in favour of a Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil motion not to nominate any candidate.
In Meath, he was defeated by a single vote, losing 14 to 13.
Earlier in the day, his campaign had faced controversy in Louth, after he was excluded from the nomination process due to what his team described as an “administrative glitch” involving an email submission of his passport. Speaking to Gript this morning, a spokesman for Sheridan’s campaign said the issue was “a matter of process rather than eligibility” and that they had been in discussions with councillors to try to resolve it.
Despite securing nominations from Kerry County Council and Tipperary County Council earlier in the race, Sheridan fell short of the four local authority endorsements required.
Twelve councils met today to vote on potential nominees, including Meath, Monaghan, Sligo, Leitrim, Offaly, Clare, Cork County, Kildare, Westmeath, Kilkenny, Limerick, and Louth.
Sheridan, an entrepreneur and founder of pharmaceutical company Nutriband Inc., had launched his campaign at the Tullamore Show on August 10th this year.
To date, Independent candidate Catherine Connolly has secured the backing of several left wing parties, while fellow Independent Maria Steen has received 13 Oireachtas nominations out of the 20 required. The deadline for nominations closes on Wednesday.