Maria Steen has dropped out of the Presidential race after failing to secure the 20 Oireachtas nominations required for a place on the ballot.
In a statement this afternoon, Steen confirmed that while she had received 18 nominations, including a last minute backing from Senator Aubrey McCarthy earlier today, she had run out of time to reach the threshold.
“While I am honoured to have received 90% of the signatures required from members of the Oireachtas, I regret to say that it is not enough, and that time has now run out,” she said.
Steen described her campaign as an attempt to give voters “a real choice” in the upcoming election.
“The response from the public in recent days confirms that the hunger for an alternative candidate is real,” she continued.
“Sadly, that hunger will now go unsatisfied. Rarely has the political consensus seemed more oppressive or detached from the wishes and desires of the public.”
The former candidate expressed gratitude to councillors and Oireachtas members who backed her, noting that some “courageously went against party diktat” to do so.
“I am also grateful to the 18 parliamentarians true democrats all who gave me their signatures, some of whom because they wanted to support and vote for me in the election, some of whom simply because they believe in democracy, and that the verdict on my candidacy should be rendered, not by an elite clique, but by the People,” she said.
Steen also acknowledged her family’s support throughout the campaign.
“I have the privilege of returning to life at home with a wonderful family. I want to thank in particular my husband, Neil, who has always been by my side, and my five children, for their patience and unwavering love,” she said.
She noted that other candidates, including Nick Delehanty and Gareth Sheridan, had also sought to enter the race but fell short.
“It is proper to acknowledge that I was not the only ‘alternative voice’ seeking to enter this race,” Steen said.
“Other candidates, like Nick Delehanty and Gareth Sheridan, had their own perspectives to offer and worked diligently through a very challenging process.”
Her withdrawal leaves just three contenders: Independent Catherine Connolly, backed unanimously by left wing opposition parties; Dublin football manager Jim Gavin, running for Fianna Fáil; and former Minister Heather Humphreys, representing Fine Gael.
Earlier this week, Independent hopeful Gareth Sheridan also dropped out after securing only two of the four required council nominations.
In a statement this morning, Sheridan said the process was “no longer fit for purpose.”
“The nomination process for the presidency is broken and no longer fit for purpose,” he said.
“This must be obvious to everyone, regardless of which side of the political spectrum you are on, or whichever candidate you support. It’s simply not good or healthy for our democracy.”
Sheridan argued that the limited number of names on the ballot would result in “a lack of representation” and “an underwhelmingly low turnout.”
“The lack of choice on the ballot is going to lead to a lack of representation, a democratic deficit, a process not befitting the office of the presidency which in turn undermines our democracy and the authority of the Presidency itself, no matter who prevails,” he said.
The 2025 contest will see the lowest number of candidates on a Presidential ballot in 35 years, excluding unopposed elections where nobody challenged the incumbent.