Eire’s Thirteenth Presidential Election

Former British Dominion, the Republic of Ireland completes another peaceful presidential election.  Democracy is working in Eire in the absence of a hereditary monarch. There were seven candidates with Michael Higgins (Labour Party nominee), a poet and former Minister, topping the vote with 56.8 percent of final preferences.  Two women candidates stood (following female heads of state for the last 21 years) both nominated by local councils, Dana Rosemary Scallon, a former Member of the European Parliament, who polled 2.9 percent on first preferences and Mary Norris, a disability rights campaigner, with 2.7 percent.  Both were excluded from the second run-off after polling the lowest number of first preference votes.  This election had the largest number of candidates to date.