Fianna Fáil ministers Jack Chambers and James Lawless have expressed their support for former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin as the battle for the party’s presidential election nomination intensified on Friday.
Former leader Bertie Ahern declined to rule himself out of the contest, criticising the lack of clarity within the party on its approach.
Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher, who expressed his plan to contest the nomination on Thursday, admitted the party leadership was surprised when he confirmed he would be seeking its support for his bid for the presidency.
Fianna Fáil has yet to decide on a nominee but Mr Gavin is understood to be the preferred choice of leadership.
READ MORE
Mr Kelleher said that whatever the outcome, a contest would he “healthy”.
He highlighted his service to the party as a TD, senator and MEP over a period spanning more than three decades and stressed that when he decided to throw his hat into the ring he “wasn’t aware of any other candidates coming forward”.
He said he did not know Mr Gavin well apart from his achievements with the Dublin senior football team, which won six All-Ireland titles under his stewardship, but he accepted that his potential rival was “synonymous with success”.
Although his candidacy has yet to be officially confirmed, Mr Gavin won the backing of two of the party’s most senior figures, the Minister for Public Expenditure Mr Chambers and the Minister for Further and Higher Education Mr Lawless.
Mr Chambers described him as “a person of integrity, humility and distinction with a strong record of public service throughout his life and career.
“He has my full support,” Mr Chambers added. “And I believe he would make an exceptional President of Ireland”.
At the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross, Mr Lawless echoed that view and said “we need someone who understands the multilateral order relationship between states, international relations, the modern world and the challenges of it.
“We need someone that at home, can embody community values, social justice, and we need somebody that can combine those that understanding with leadership and public service. For me, Jim Gavin embodies all of those qualities.”
He also referenced Mr Gavin’s time in the Defence Forces, leading missions in Chad and elsewhere, as well as with the GAA, the North East Inner City taskforce and the Citizens Assembly.
Clare TD Cathal Crowe also said that Mr Gavin would have his “full and unequivocal backing”, with Dublin Mid West TD Shane Moynihan also adding his support.
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he was not ruling himself out of entering the race, although he would only answer “God knows” when asked if he could get the support of the party and also convince the wider electorate to vote for him.
Mr Ahern expressed disappointment that the Fianna Fáil leadership had failed to confirm if it would support him despite him approaching key officials in December to ask if a “decision could be made early so we could organise ourselves”.
He said he had met officials on multiple occasions in the first six months of this year and said he had “never got the answer to the question which was whether the leadership would back me. It was a simple enough question and then I got an answer on the font page of the newspapers”.
Speaking to reporters at Glasnevin Cemetery where he was attending a Fianna Fáil event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Éamon de Valera he said he would “never rule myself out. If you never rule yourself out, you’re still in.”
Asked if he would be willing to seek the Fianna Fáil nomination against the wishes of Mr Martin and his leadership team, he repeated that he had not ruled himself out.
