Fianna Fáil presidential candidacy ‘a serious miscalculation’

Jim Gavin’s candidacy for the Irish presidential election was “a very serious miscalculation”, Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has said.

On Sunday, Fianna Fáil candidate Gavin announced he was withdrawing from the Irish presidential election with “immediate effect”.

The former Dublin gaelic football manager was set to be one of three candidates standing for election on 24 October, alongside Independent TD Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys.

However, on Sunday evening he said in a statement he had “made a mistake that was not in keeping with my character and the standards I set myself”.

Gavin did not elaborate on the reason for his withdrawal in his statement. But it followed a news report in the Irish Independent newspaper on Saturday alleging he owed €3,300 (£2,870) to a former tenant.

He was asked about the story on RTÉ’s presidential debate on Sunday and said: “If it happened, I’m very sorry that it happened. I’m looking into it and I will deal with it with urgency.”

It is understood that Fianna Fáil will hold a parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday evening.

Kelleher said the announcement on Sunday evening was a “shell shock” to the presidential election campaign and Fianna Fáil.

He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Monday that it could not “just be swept under the carpet,” adding that Fianna Fáil members and voters across the country were “upset”.

Kelleher, who contested Jim Gavin for the nomination, said the party didn’t do its “due diligence” or “enough of an interrogation”.

“That was the issue that I raised at the outset,” he said.

“I was clearly concerned that there seemed to be no proper process in place, there was no scrutiny of candidates, names were being mentioned on an ad-hoc basis and I just thought, all in all, it was quite a chaotic scene in early August.”

Fianna Fáil deputy leader and director of elections Jack Chambers said there had been “extensive and robust due diligence right through the weeks prior to [Gavin’s] candidacy and during his candidacy” but the issue of the tenancy “was never disclosed”.

Chambers said that on Thursday Fianna Fáil received a query to its press office about the issue and the party replied on Friday “following engagement with Jim”.

“At the time he [Gavin] said he had no record or recollection of the particular issue that was set out in the [Irish Independent’s] article on the Saturday,” he said.

“Subsequently on Saturday, the tenant in question contacted the party and said they did have records relating to this particular issue and it was contrary to what the party had been told on Friday.”

He said there is a “full and democratic process” for nominations in the party.

“Obviously there’ll be a meeting, as there always is, of the parliamentary party, and we’ll discuss this matter and discuss the campaign,” he added.

On Sunday, Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said Gavin’s decision to withdraw was “the correct one”.

Martin added it was a “very difficult decision” for Gavin to withdraw given his “commitment to public service”.

Presidential candidates Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys both wished Gavin well following his decision to withdraw.

Connolly said: “Anyone who seeks to make Ireland a better place through public service should be commended.

“Jim Gavin has made the right decision for himself and his family. I wish him well.”

Humphreys added that Gavin had made “an enormous contribution to our country”.

“While I know this must have been a very difficult decision, it is clearly one Jim has made with the best interests of his family at heart.”

Gabija Gataveckaite, BBC News NI Dublin correspondent

Will Gavin still be on the ballot?

In short, yes. It is too late now to change the ballot under Irish laws. This means three names – Gavin, Humphreys and Connolly – will appear on the ballot.

“Under the legislation this is a matter, in the first instance, for the Department of Housing and the presidential returning officer,” said a spokesperson for the Irish Electoral Commission.

One source with knowledge of Irish electoral laws said “the ship has sailed” to take Gavin’s name off the ballot.

Could he still win the election?

Yes. Gavin’s name will be on the ballot and so technically, even though there is no campaign anymore, he could still win the election. His votes will be counted as usual.

However, it is very unlikely that he would win. The Humphreys campaign will now attempt to shore up as many supporters of Gavin as possible.

Can Fianna Fáil replace Gavin with another candidate?

Not at this stage. It is too late now to change the ballot paper. The deadline for all candidates was noon on 24 September.

Who should Fianna Fáil voters vote for now?

It’s a good question. And it is one for party leader and Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

The party will have to decide who, if anybody, they will back in the election now.

The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party is scheduled to meet on Wednesday night.

Votes can be transferred under the Irish system which uses proportional representation. Gavin and Humphreys would be viewed to be very transfer friendly towards one another.

The deadline for voters to register for the election is Tuesday 7 October.

Gavin is a former Irish military pilot and a current aviation expert but he is best known for his successes as a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) football manager.

He managed the Dublin men’s team from 2012 to 2019, when it won six All Ireland Senior Football Championship titles – five of which were back-to-back victories.

He had 20-year career in the Irish Air Corps and was later appointed as Chief Operations Officer of the Irish Aviation Authority.

Last month, Gavin said he had sent legal letters to some social media firms after “smears” of a “very personal nature” were posted about him online.

He said online misinformation had “become normalised” in society and he was “going to make a stand” by contacting media regulators and social media platforms.