Mary Lou McDonald has said she will not stand in the Presidential Election next month and hopes to be Taoiseach instead. 

The Sinn Féin President put an end to months of speculation that she might enter the fray and announced she will instead continue with her job in the Oireachtas. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Deputy McDonald said Irish politics is an historic juncture.  

 “We are, I believe, on the run into that moment where we are going to have referendums on Irish reunification and I’m very conscious that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to set the scene for that,” she explained. 

“To craft a national conversation that’s respectful and democratic. 

“Whoever is Uachtarán after the Presidential Election, I think will have a really, really particular, important role in mediating that and promoting that. 

“For that, I thought long and hard about it.” 

Sinn Féin TDs outside Leinster House. Picture by: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

Despite this, Deputy McDonald added that she would rather present herself as a candidate for Taoiseach in the next General Election, expected in four years time. 

“My job remains to take on this Government, lead Sinn Féin, lead the opposition… not alone to hold Micheál Martin and Simon Harris to account, to keep their feet to the flames for all of their many, many failings,” she said. 

“But also when the next General Election comes around, to present to the Irish electorate a real sense of an alternative Government at last - I’m disappointed that we didn’t get into Government after last November’s election.  

“There’s a lot of work to be done; I have made a commitment to lead that work and I intend to see that commitment through.” 

 

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People Before Profit, the Labour Party and Social Democrats have thrown their support behind independent TD Catherine Connolly. 

While Sinn Féin have enough Oireachtas members to nominate a candidate of their own, Deputy McDonald described the Galway West TD as a “very accomplished” individual. 

“Anybody who knows her, who has watched her over the last number of years in the Oireachtas knows she’s a good person, she’s a very well intended person and she’s a person whose politics, like our own, is grounded in equality,” she said. 

However, Deputy McDonald added that she has also had conversations “with others” who would like to be Sinn Féin’s candidate. 

Main image: Mary Lou McDonald. Picture by: Alamy.com.