FINE GAEL presidential candidate Gay Mitchell has said a Fianna Fáil candidate in the October election would likely benefit his campaign.
Mr Mitchell said yesterday his fellow MEP Brian Crowley was the party’s “best bet” and would be its strongest candidate. He said he was popular and had a particularly big vote in Munster.
However, he said the likelihood was that the Fianna Fáil candidate would be eliminated and that Fine Gael could be the biggest beneficiary should that happen.
Mr Mitchell, in an interview with Lunchtime on Newstalk, pointed out that a Fianna Fáil candidate had never previously been eliminated in a presidential election.
“The likelihood is that a Fianna Fáil candidate would be eliminated. Where the transfer would go would be very interesting. [At least some of it] would go to Fine Gael,” he said.
Mr Mitchell said several times during the interview that winning the backing of Fine Gael supporters would not be enough and he would need to attract votes from other parties.
Asked why his poll ratings were low in comparison to other candidates, Mr Mitchell said it was the start of the campaign and people had not yet started to address the question of whom they wanted to be president. He said that in the 1996 campaign, Labour candidate Adi Roche was attracting some 37 per cent in opinion polls, yet polled less than 7 per cent on election day.
Asked was he too Dublincentred and “too much of a Dub” in people’s minds, he replied: “Traditionally the Fine Gael vote is strong outside Dublin and I traditionally run ahead of the Fine Gael vote in Dublin. I need other votes. I want to be president for all of the people. Fine Gael gets its votes everywhere. We are the only party with an organisation in every parish. I have to ask Fianna Fáil people to lend me their vote.”
Mr Mitchell said that if elected president he might summon the Dáil and the Seanad to debate the worrying incidence of suicide in Irish society.
He said he would also consider appointing a rapporteur to examine the issue and engage with communities and individuals throughout the country.
He said that as a Christian Democrat he believed in diversity and inclusiveness but added he also believed in a “culture that says that with every right comes a responsibility”.
He said that as president it would be his sworn duty to uphold the Constitution and the law. Asked for his stance if there was a permissive law in relation to abortion, for example the opening of abortion clinics, he said he did not think the Constitution as it is would allow such a law.
Mr Mitchell also contended that he would be independent.
Separately, a campaign to entice Hollywood actor Martin Sheen to run for president has attracted almost 1,000 new followers a day since it was set up this week.
The Facebook site, “Martin Sheen for President of Ireland”, has almost 5,000 followers. Sheen is an Irish citizen, through his mother.