Minister Harkin TD signs Presidential nomination papers for Maria Steen

Independent Government Minister, and Sligo-Leitrim TD, Marian Harkin (whose constituency boundaries include Ballyshannon and Bundoran), has announced she has signed Presidential Election Nomination papers for Maria Steen.

Ms Harkin, who is Minister of State for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, insists that her vote for President will still be for Fine Gael nominee, Heather Humphries, despite her nominating Ms Steen for the Presidential ballot. 

Known for her conservative viewpoints, Ms Steen’s attempts at securing enough Oireachtas member nominations have been well-publicised, with Ms Steen lobbying for the handful of nominations she requires to be named on the Presidential ballot paper.

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Catherine Connolly TD, Jim Gavin, and Heather Humphreys have been the long-time trio that were confirmed as Presidential candidates for the election due in October. 

Minister Harkin outlined her reasons for nominating Ms Steen, who she said was a “credible candidate and reflects all or some of the views of a significant portion of the Irish people.”

She said: “I believe we should see a respectful, considered debate with different viewpoints in the upcoming Presidential election, and by not giving a voice to different viewpoints, certain groups of people become further polarised, believing they are being sidelined in the discussion about the person we want to represent us as President for the next seven years.

“That leads to a fracture and polarisation. We have an opportunity to stop this happening, for now at least, by giving voters a wider choice.” 

“Secondly, all the candidates nominated so far have been nominated by political parties, yet many Irish people vote for Independents and expect them to use their independent voice to influence outcomes.”

Minister Harkin stated that she did not agree with Ms Steen’s views on a number of issues, but that she would defend “her right not only to have those views but also “to articulate them in a Presidential election” and that she her own “role for now” was to help allow the Irish electorate to make their choice from a “more diverse group of candidates.”