A more open process was needed within Fianna Fáil when it came to picking a presidential candidate, according to party MEP Billy Kelleher.
Mr Kelleher, who sought the parliamentary party’s presidential nomination, lost his bid to Jim Gavin earlier in the year.
Despite there being a number of Fianna Fáil hopefuls, Mr Kelleher was the only potential candidate put forward alongside Mr Gavin.
In the end, Mr Kelleher received 29 votes to Mr Gavin’s 41.
“In advance of the vote itself, I think the issue there is the flaws in the process,” he told The Pat Kenny Show.
“There was no real process, let’s be very clear.”
Former Fianna Fáil presidential candidate Jim Gavin (right) speaks to defeated candidate Billy Kelleher during the Ploughing Championships at Tullamore, Co Offaly. Image: Niall Carson / Alamy. September 16, 2025.Mr Kelleher said that he would question why Fianna Fáil - which will celebrate its hundredth anniversary next year – does not have an “open, transparent” bidding system for these internal selections.
“The first thing to do is get answers,” he said.
“I mean, we have to find out why this happened, because this has done a huge amount of damage to an individual and to a family, that’s the first thing.
“It has also done a lot of damage to the party across the country in terms of not having a candidate in the race and not having a candidate to vote for.”
Message to voters
Mr Kelleher also asked, “what do we say to our supporters?”
“[What do we say] to people that have voted for Fianna Fáil traditionally?” he said.
“Do they stay at home, or do they go down and make up their own mind?
“Are we going to offer tacit support to somebody else? They can actually vote for Jim Gavin because his name will be on the ballot paper.”
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According to Mr Kelleher, the situation is “really disturbing” in regard to “the bigger political picture.”
“When it came to the parliamentary party, there was already a preordained outcome in view of the fact that the leadership would have been pushing for Jim Gavin through the minsters, etc,” he said.
“Look, that is the situation.
“I’m disappointed that it has come to this for a number of reasons.”
Main image: Fianna Fáil's Billy Kelleher (right) with Tanaiste and party leader Micheal Martin (left). Image: Brian Lawless / Alamy. Thursday June 13, 2024.
