Norris confident of winning nomination

Senator David Norris, who is still campaigning for a nomination to join the presidential race, has said he is confident of securing the required support.

Mr Norris, who is favourite to win in most polls, has declarations of support from 15 members of the Oireachtas, five short of what he needs to be eligible to stand.

"I'm quite convinced I will be in the race," he told RTÉ's Pat Kenny programme this morning. "The election has thrown up all kinds of complexities within the nomination procedure."

He said he believed the Government would examine the nomination procedure to make it more democratic after the election. “At the end of the day, the presidency of Ireland is not the possession of any political party. It belongs to the people of Ireland."

Asked how he felt about being a frontrunner at this early stage, Mr Norris said “being at the head of the poll has inherent dangers”.

“Even if I take the presidency by one vote that would be enough for me but I know I have the support of a very large number of people."

Asked by a caller to the show if he intended to have a partner accompany him on public engagements were he to become president, Mr Norris said: “I’m not involved in a civil partnership. I‘m not living with anybody. I don’t envisage engaging in that. I’ve already said there will be no consort in the Áras an Uachtaráin," he said.

"If I was in a civil partnership, I think it would be perfectly legitimate to have a partner to accompany me.

"That situation does not arise in my case but I don't see when we're an equal society why this distinction should be made and I'm interested in the fact that no other candidate has been asked this kind of question," he said.

A prospective candidate must win the backing of four city or county council or 20 members of the Oireachtas to be eligible to run.

Independent candidate and Dragon's Den judge Seán Gallagher has already secured Roscommon, Longford, Leitrim, Clare, Donegal.

Chief executive of Special Olympics Ireland Mary Davis has the support of Mayo, Limerick County, Louth, Monaghan councils.

A doubt has emerged over whether the presidential election will be held on October 21st as previously indicated by the Taoiseach because concerns the legislation giving statutory effect to the poll may not be prepared in time.

The date is understood to be posing difficulties for completing the legislation that will provide for the presidential election and the two referendums expected to be voted upon on the day.

It is now expected the Government will announce the election will take place a week later, on October 28th.

The referendums likely to be held are on judges’ pay and on reversing the Abbeylara judgment, which has restricted the investigative powers of Oireachtas committees.