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Conor McGregor says ‘not an easy decision’ as he withdraws from presidential race: See who’s still in the running
Conor McGregor has announced he will no longer run for the Irish presidency.
Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor announced on Monday that he is no longer pursuing a bid for the Irish presidency. The announcement came just hours before he was scheduled to address the Dublin City Council and Kildare County Council to seek the nominations needed to appear in the next month's ballot, as reported by the BBC.
McGregor steps down from Irish presidential race
In a social media post, McGregor explained that the decision to withdraw from the presidential race came “following careful reflection, and after consulting with my family." He added, "This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one at this moment in time." The former champion fighter, who has not been in professional competition since July 2021, said that he was “truly humbled” by the “support and engagement” that he received, as reported by the BBC.
McGregor also called the eligibility rules for elections a “straitjacket” that prevented "a true democratic presidential election being contested". According to the BBC, the candidates hoping to run for the presidential race must be Irish citizens aged 35 or older and secure endorsement from either at least 20 members of the Irish Parliament, the Oireachtas, or four of the country’s 31 local authorities.
The 37-year-old had been sharing posts about his ambition to be the president of Ireland with his millions of followers on social media for months. He first vowed to run for the presidency last year.
List of candidates that remain in presidential race
Ireland is set to go to the polls on October 24, with three candidates so far securing the necessary backing from either the Irish lawmakers or local authorities to officially enter the presidential race.
Independent candidate Catherine Connolly has received support from some left-wing parties, including Labour, the Social Democrats, and People Before Profit.
Jim Gavin has been nominated by Fianna Fáil, the largest party in the Irish Parliament, led by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, as reported by the BBC.
Heather Humphreys is running as the candidate for Fine Gael, the centre-right party currently in coalition with Fianna Fáil.
Sinn Féin stated that they will reveal on September 20 if they are running any candidate for the presidency. It is the main opposition party in Dublin and the largest at all levels in politics in Northern Ireland.
