Irish presidential election, 2004

This article is part of the series Politics of the R. of Ireland

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Political parties Elections: President: 2004 Legislature: 2002

The date for Ireland's presidential election was set for 22 October, 2004. However, nominations closed at noon on 1 October and the incumbent president, Mary McAleese, who had nominated herself in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, was the only person nominated. Accordingly she was re-elected for a second seven-year term of office without the need to hold a contest. This is the third time a president has been returned unopposed, following President O'Kelly in 1952 and President Hillery in 1983. President McAleese's re-inauguration took place on 11 November.

Table of contents

1 Party positions 1.1 Fianna Fáil 1.2 Fine Gael 1.3 Labour 1.4 Sinn Féin 1.5 Others 2 Independent candidacy 3 Past history of electoral contests 4 Criticism of the election 5 See also

Party positions

Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil supported its former candidate President McAleese in her bid for a second term. Technically, however, President McAleese nominated herself rather than seek a nomination from Fianna Fáil.

Fine Gael

Fine Gael also supported President McAleese's bid for a second term.

Labour

In early 2003 the Labour Party said that irrespective of the attitudes of other parties, and even in the event of President McAleese seeking a second term, the party would run a candidate. But party leader Pat Rabbitte appeared less committed in a television interview in November 2003, pointing out that all its attentions were focused on the two Irish elections already guaranteed in 2004, the European elections and the local elections to be held on 11 June. Following the significant losses of the ruling Fianna Fáil party in these elections, Labour sources have suggested the presidential election should not be contested, if it were to allow a decisive Fianna Fáil victory so soon after earlier election woes. Possible options were:

• former party chair and Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Michael D. Higgins
• former Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Dick Spring
• former leader Ruairí Quinn
• independent senator and gay rights campaigner David Norris
• Former Social Democratic and Labour Party minister in Northern Ireland and deputy SDLP leader, Bríd Rogers

On 16 September, the party's Parliamentary Party recommended against running a candidate. The final decision was taken by the party's executive body, the National Executive, on 17 September 2004. In a surprisingly tight vote, the party's executive decided against running Higgins by a majority of one, even though the party leader and parliamentary party had come out strongly against running a candidate.

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin also supported President McAleese's bid for a second term.

Others

The Green Party/Comhaontas Glas asked some of the independent TDs and/or senators to support Eamon Ryan as a presidential candidate. Alternatively the Independents could have nominated an independent candidate, although they would have difficulty securing the support of the necessary twenty TDs and/or senators. Possible further candidates included:

• Senator David Norris - who did not receive a Labour nomination;
• Kevin Lee - former emigrant who had a campaign and contacted local councillors;
• Dana, Rosemary Scallon - family rights campaigner, candidate in 1997, and former MEP;
• Mary Robinson (president: 1990-97) - a former president who has not served two terms may nominate themselves for election at any stage.

Independent candidacy

Following her defeat in the European Parliament election of June 2004, 1997 candidate Dana Rosemary Scallon indicated that she might also run as an independent presidential candidate on a platform of opposition to the adoption of the proposed European Union constitution. She initially attempted to repeat her 1997 strategy of seeking nominations from four county councils, and approached all the county councils in the country but was rebuffed. Shortly before the close of nominations she turned her attention to attempting to obtain nomination by 20 members of the Oireachtas, but was similarly unsuccessful.

Past history of electoral contests

The electoral wins in contested polls are as follows

• Fianna Fáil: 1945, 1959, 1966, 1973, 1997
• Fine Gael: none
• independent supported by Labour: 1990

Only one contest took place involving a sitting president. In 1966 President Eamon de Valera defeated Fine Gael's Tom O'Higgins by less than 1%.

McAleese was always the likely but not certain victor in the presidential election. Given the near defeat of a legendary nationalist figure like Eamon de Valera, President McAleese could not be certain of victory. In an electoral contest under the Single Transferable Vote (in effect instant-runoff voting since only one person can win), the greater the number of candidates, the greater the likelihood that an incumbent could be beaten, if all other candidates transfer their preferences to each other. McAleese, according to opinion polls, would have gone into the election with a popularity level in excess of 80%. The current electoral unpopularity of Fianna Fáil might have hindered her electability, but with her popularity so high, it would have been extremely difficult, though not impossible, to beat her.

Criticism of the election

In the event of a public vote, it is likely that some of the public would have voted against the incumbent, although there is no firm guideline as to how much support would have remained for McAleese, as this would have depended on what other candidates were presented. (As mentioned earlier, McAleese's support was however, exceedingly high). For those who desired a public vote, the main culprits in defeating efforts to nominate other candidates were the main parties, who blocked any support from county councils. In particular, Fine Gael's alliance with Fianna Fáil was instrumental in blocking candidates such as Dana. Critics of the system argue that this "agreed election" called into question the need for a supposedly non-political office where only politicians can nominate a candidate, with few powers, that is detached from the people, and to which elections take place only every 14 years.

See also

• Elections in Ireland

Irish Presidential Elections

1938 | 1945 | 1952 | 1959 | 1966 | 1973 | 1974 | 1976 | 1983 | 1990 | 1997 | 2004

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