Fianna Fáil will do worse damage to itself than it suffered in the general election if it decides not to contest the upcoming presidential election, one of its most prominent senators has contended.
Kerry-based Ned O’Sullivan has strongly urged the party to run a candidate in the election in November, saying that Fianna Fáil needed to have an “urgent debate” on the matter.
Mr O’Sullivan said he had discussed the matter extensively with party supporters and activists and the strong consensus was that the party needed to run a candidate.
“We have never showed the white feather even in the toughest times.
“To do so now would set back the party recovery and reduce Fianna Fáil to the role of bystander in a hugely important national contest,” he said.
He evoked the party’s history in the presidential elections to back up his argument: “From Sean T O’Kelly right up to Mary McAleese, almost every president in our history has reflected the Fianna Fáil ethos and tradition and each has made their own definitive contribution towards the high opinion in which the office is held.
“Not to contest would be a huge disappointment to our supporters and would, in my opinion, do worse damage to the party than the recent general election.”
He said that leader Micheál Martin had put the party into recovery mode and that people were beginning to see through the promises made by the Fine Gael and Labour coalition during the general election campaign.
“I am calling for an urgent party debate on the issue at national level and I am asking Micheál Martin to facilitate and lead that debate,” he said.
“Time is not in our favour and there are many excellent candidates who would be proud to fly the Fianna Fáil flag in the autumn both within and without the parliamentary party.”
A Fianna Fáil spokesman said the party has already debated the issue at parliamentary party level a number of times and pointed out that Mary McAleese had been chosen as the party candidate only seven weeks prior to the last contested election.
“We do not share the same sense of urgency as the other parties. We will make the decision in plenty of good time,” said the spokesman.