SINN Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has not ruled out a run for the Irish presidency.This is a no...
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has not ruled out a run for the Irish presidency. This is a notable change from her position earlier this year when she said definitively, "It won't be me." Speaking to journalists outside the Four Courts on Monday, McDonald said: “We are not ruling anything in or anything out.” She confirmed that a party-wide consultation process on the presidential race has concluded and that the report is now on her desk. "We have to do a bit more work," she said. "I think over the next number of weeks, probably the end of July and into August, we will have a clearer picture of what we are doing." The shift in McDonald’s position has reignited speculation about her potential candidacy, especially following her frustration at not becoming Taoiseach after last year’s general election. The presidential election is due to take place before 11 November, as President Michael D. Higgins nears the end of his second and final term. Sinn Féin is also exploring the possibility of putting forward a joint candidate supported by parties across the Opposition and the political left.
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