In the Dark

Yesterday the official Presidential Election Order was tabled which means that an election for the office of President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann) will be held in the Republic on Friday 24th October 2025. The incumbent Michael D. Higgins will have served his second 7-year term by November and since by the Constitution nobody can hold the office more than twice, we will have a new President of the Republic.

The Irish media have been trying to make news about the presidential election all summer, which has been pointless and tedious to put up as no candidates had even been nominated then. Actually nobody has yet either, as nominations don’t officially open until tomorrow; they close on September 25th. Still, at least the process has started.

In order to progress to the election, a candidate has to receive the support of at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or at least 4 local authorities (i.e. councils). Former or retiring Presidents can nominate themselves but this is not relevant here.

The way the election works is that voters rank all candidates. In the first round of counting, first preference votes are totted up and if one candidate has more than 50% he/she is elected. If not an Instant Runoff method is used, with votes of lower-ranked being reallocated until there’s a winner (ie until one candidate gains a majority).

I just checked the online electoral register to confirm my status:

I will wait to see who has acually been nominated before deciding who to vote for. In the last Presidential Election (2018), five candidates opposed the re-election of Michael D. Higgins, three of them businessmen best known for having appeared on the Irish version of the TV show Dragon’s Den. There’s ample evidence from elsewhere that the products of reality TV shows do not make good presidents. Neither do rapists, so let’s hope Conor McGregor does not get nominated. It is likely that there will be more than six candidates this time and the election will be more closely contested that last time. In 2018 the turnout was very low, no noubt because many people assumed – correctly – that Higgins would win. In the event he got over 56% of the first-preference vote so the transfers were irrelevant. That might not be the case this time.

The Presidency of Ireland is a ceremonial rather than an executive office, and it has little actual power associated with it. It is nevertheless important in that the President is the guardian of the Constitution as well as representing the Irish Nation as a kind of ambassador and as patron of many good causes. Surprisingly, some of the people who want to put themselves forward don’t seem to know anything about what the job entails. Hopefully, the more obvious fruitcakes who put themselves forward will fail to get nominated. I think Michael D. Higgns has carried out his duties in a very dignified and diligent way over the years, and will be a very hard act to follow. I’ve been proud to have him as my President.

It’s hard to believe that seven whole years have passed since the last election. There’s another reminder of that coming up on Friday September 12th when I will be going to the National Concert Hall for a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra that marks the opening of the 2025/6 season. On September 15th 2018 I went to the season opener for that year. That was also my first ever visit to the National Concert Hall. To mark the occasion we were in the presence of the man himself , Michael D Higgins, and his wife Sabena. The President attended as Patron of the National Symphony Orchestra. I don’t know whether he will attend on Friday 12th September, but if he does I’m sure he will get a good ovation. As well as many other things Michael D. Higgins has been a very strong advocate for the Arts in Ireland. I’m not sure his successor will live up to the standard he set.