Independent candidate in the Presidential race, Gareth Sheridan has secured his second nomination from a local authority this week, with Tipperary County Council voting to endorse him.
It’s a huge honour to have received my second Local Authority nomination from Tipperary County Council this afternoon,” Mr Sheridan said. “I’m very grateful to Councillors from across the political spectrum for their support and exercising their constitutional right by nominating a candidate.”
He secured the backing of 17 councillors – including Independents, Labour and Fine Gael members – while three votes were cast in favour of the only other person who was proposed and seconded, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, a former Lord Mayor of Cork.
16 Councillors abstained, mostly members of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. Independent councillors, Séamie Morris and Independent Liam Browne, proposed and seconded Sheridan
Meanwhile, Tánaiste Simon Harris has defended Fine Gael’s decision to ask their councillors to block any Independents seeking the nomination to enter the Presidential race.
“We actually surveyed all our councillors, we asked every single Fine Gael councillor; what would you like to do?” he said.
“The overwhelming majority of folks said, we want to apply the party whip here, because we’re backing Heather Humphreys. We want Heather Humphreys to be president.”