INDEPENDENT SENATOR DAVID Norris has said he has 12 members of the Oireachtas who are willing to sign his nomination papers to run for the presidency later this year. When his own signature is included, he needs seven more to secure the nomination.

The 13 signatories include independent TDs Finian McGrath, Maureen O’Sullivan, Catherine Murphy, Mick Wallace, Stephen Donnelly, Thomas Pringle, John Halligan, and Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan.

He has the support of four independent senators – John Crown, Sean Barrett, Mary Ann O’Brien, Marie Louise O’Donnell – and his own signature.

Norris has consistently led polls since announcing his decision to run for president in March but has been unable to secure the requisite support he needs to ensure he is nominated.

Under the constitution, a candidate must have the support of 20 members of  the Oireachtas or four county councils in order to run for the Áras but Norris has been unable to secure enough support from county councils he has spoken to so far.

Norris said that he is confident that he will be able to secure the seven more signatures he needs to ensure his name is on the ballot paper when the election is held on 21 October:

I am certain that I will obtain further signatures and my name will be on the ballot paper on October 21^st, not only that but I am confident that I will go on to win and become the 9^th President of Ireland.

Norris added he will spend the month of August seeking those extra signatories as well as targeting the support of local authorities in September.

Other candidates running for the presidency so far are Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell, Labour’s Michael D Higgins, and independents Sean Gallagher and Mary Davis. Fianna Fáil has so far yet to declare whether it intends to run a candidate whilst Sinn Féin is unlikely to field a candidate.

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