Catherine Connolly looks sure to win the Presidential Election, with head Fine Gael politicians already admitting defeat.

“It’s becoming very clear, I think as we’ve heard from the rest of the country, that Catherine Connolly will be elected our next president,” Minister for Education Helen McEntee told The Anton Savage Show.

“I just want to wish her well and congratulate her.

“I think it’s been a difficult campaign for both candidates, and quite unusual in that we would always in past campaigns have had quite a number of candidates on the ballot.

“So, it’s been quite gruelling and difficult for both.”

Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys

However, Ms McEntee said Heather Humphreys had run “a really positive, really active campaign”.

“Look, people have made their choice, and I think we’ll take the time after this to look and see what was involved in the campaigns, what were people’s reasons for choosing who they chose,” she said.

“But they have chosen and we live in a democracy and we have a wonderful country in that regard.

“So, I think we need to make sure that after this, we are behind and support and work with our president, which we absolutely will.”

Spoiled vote from Galway count centre containing a glued-in photo of Maria Steen. Image: Alex Rowley / Newstalk. 25.20.25

According to Ms McEntee, the political parties will have to “take on board” the large number of spoiled votes that have already featured in the first count of the election.

“I think there was a very clear campaign encouraging people to spoil their vote, and I think we certainly have to look at that,” she said.

“I mean, I’m here looking at some of the ballot papers and some of them are just spoiled votes, as you would imagine, and others have very clear messages and commentary written on them.

“Some connected to what has been happening in Dublin during the week, other messages as well, and we need to take that on board.

“But, you know, we live in a democracy and while this might not have been the election that people expected, while people might have expected more candidates, we have not changed the way in which we nominate people to go for president."

Nomination process

Ms McEntee said that while the presidential nomination process has not changed in the history of the State, the reaction to this year's election should be examined.

“We haven’t changed it since we have been running presidential elections," she said.

"If an individual has not had the ability to put their name on the ballot paper, then you have to be able to put yourself forward.

“But I do think we have to look at why people responded in this way and take it on board.”

Main image: Helen McEntee (L), Catherine Connolly (R).