Stopped by a fake tweet, will Gallagher go again?
FORMER presidential candidate Seán Gallagher – who was the frontrunner last time out, until his campaign imploded when a fake tweet was read out on RTÉ’s Frontline debate – looks set to enter the race again.
The former Dragon’s Den panellist has written to every local authority in the country urging them all to ‘exercise your constitutional right to nominate a candidate’. Under Irish law, councils can nominate presidential candidates. A candidate needs the support of 20 Oireachtas members or four local authorities to get on the ballot.
However, he did not respond to queries from the Irish Daily Mail asking if he intends to seek a nomination.
During the 2011 campaign the independent candidate was stung by last-minute revelations about his fundraising activities for Fianna Fáil, who in 2011 were the most toxic brand in the country.
This was compounded by a false tweet read out live on RTÉ by Pat Kenny, which wrongly claimed a man had given Gallagher money for a Fianna Fáil fundraiser. The tweet purportedly came from the account of Sinn Féin’s candidate Martin McGuinness, but later turned out to be fake.
Mr Gallagher took legal action against the national broadcaster and last year he received what his solicitor described as ‘substantial’ damages and an apology from RTÉ.