Former chief medical officer Tony Holohan has announced he will not now seek a nomination to run for the presidency because he wants to protect his family from the “personal abuse” of a campaign.
Prof Holohan said he could not expose his family to “distress, criticism or abuse at a time when we are all still rebuilding our lives”.
He had been strongly considering trying to enter this year’s presidential race, after a poll commissioned by his supporters last week put him at 15 per cent.
But in a statement to The Irish Times, Prof Holohan said that, “after a lot of careful consideration and reflection, I have decided not to seek a nomination to contest the election”.
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“While a number of different factors have influenced my decision, my overriding consideration has been my wish to protect my family from the kind of personal abuse which is becoming increasingly normalised in Irish politics generally and in presidential elections in particular,” he said.
“I understand the very tough nature of modern politics and, while I am more than capable of defending my reputation and the decisions which I have taken over a long career during challenging times in public service, my family is not. I cannot now expose them to further distress, criticism or abuse at a time when we are all still rebuilding our lives.”
Prof Holohan said he “earnestly” hopes the upcoming campaign will be marked by “civilised and respectful debate”. He wished the next president success, and said they will have his “full support”.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael will meet on Monday to consider the presidential election campaign as support grows inside and outside of the party for Heather Humphreys to run.
The former minister has said she is giving the matter “very serious consideration”. She had ruled out the possibility in May.
Ms Humphreys, who did not contest last year’s general election, has emerged as the favourite to replace former MEP Mairead McGuinness, who on Thursday announced she was stepping down as the Fine Gael candidate on health grounds.
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A number of Independent politicians have come out in support of Ms Humphreys running to succeed Michael D Higgins. Ministers of State Michael Healy-Rae, Noel Grealish and Seán Canney have said they would support her candidacy, noting her “broad” appeal and ability to “bring a lot of people together”.
Ms Humphreys is also understood to be the preferred candidate for a number of senior Fine Gael ministers.
Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly, a former GAA president, on Saturday said he was weighing up his options about seeking the party’s nomination after this week’s news about Ms McGuinness.
He said last month that he would not run, describing it as the “most difficult decision” of his political life, but on Saturday told Newstalk “the goalposts have changed”. Mr Kelly said the discussion within Fine Gael on who it would now run as its candidate “hasn’t started really” out of respect for Ms McGuinness.
“I think next week will be time enough to reflect properly on that and take action. There’s no rush,” he added.
Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty, a member of the national executive, said there should be a contest if Mr Kelly and Ms Humphreys both put their names forward.
