President Michael D Higgins will stick to his previously announced plans for Presidential debates, his campaign has announced.
If follows criticism from Seán Gallagher that the incumbent will not take part in some of the planned TV debates.
Four TV debates - two on TV3 and two on RTÉ - are planned between now and polling day next Friday.
President Higgins last week committed to take part in two of the planned TV debates - not including tonight's Claire Byrne Live event.
In a letter sent to Áras an Uachtaráin yesterday, Presidential hopeful Seán Gallagher criticised President Higgins for his decision to not take part in tonight's debate.
Mr Gallagher has previously pledged to not participate in any debates where all candidates are not present.
The businessman said while he previously defended President Higgins for not taking part in a radio debate due to previously announced commitments, he was 'disappointed' by the President's decision to not take part in tonight's televised debate.
Last night I wrote to President Higgins urging him to reconsider his decision not to participate in all debates. #Transparency #Inclusivity pic.twitter.com/dXeNdkiTi9
— Seán Gallagher (@seangallagher1) October 15, 2018
He wrote: "[I] believe it is insulting to the people of Ireland and shows contempt for the integrity of our electoral process.
"Furthermore, it serves to feed the disconnect between the people of Ireland and the Office of President, particularly in the context of recent concerns about trust and transparency."
Urging the President to 'reconsider' his decision to not take part, Mr Gallagher added: "You called for the remainder of this election to be a conversation on what the Presidency should be. However, your actions do not reflect your words."
In a response today, President Higgins' campaign director Claire Power reiterated the campaign's previous commitments.
She wrote: "Let me confirm that President Michael D Higgins will fulfil the debate engagements that he announced publicly on October 2nd.
"Can I say that I was surprised to receive your missive last night before the airing of one particular debate. As noted above President Higgins publicly indicated his commitment to debates 12 days ago."
She also called on Mr Gallagher to send any future correspondence to President Higgins' campaign office rather than Áras an Uachtaráin - "for obvious reasons".
All six candidates took part in a radio debate for the first time on Saturday.
