FF TDs question decision to back Higgins for Áras

TWO FIANNA Fáil TDs have questioned the party’s decision to back President Michael D Higgins for a second term.

Brendan Smith said that if it had been up to him he would have waited until Mr Higgins declared whether or not he will seek another seven years in the Áras before a decision was made by Fianna Fáil on whether or not to back him.

Declan Breathnach said he would have liked to have seen what other candidates declared before backing one.

Neither TD was at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting where the decision was taken not to field a candidate to challenge Mr Higgins and to support his candidacy should he seek a second term.

Mr Smith made his comments on Shannonside Radio’s ‘The Joe Finnegan Show’. The Cavan-Monaghan TD said that Mr Higgins is “doing a very fine job” but raised Mr Higgins’s commitment during the 2011 election to only seek one term. When asked if he had reservations about his party’s decision, Mr Smith said: “If I was deciding what our party would do I wouldn’t have made any decision until we heard from President Higgins.”

He gave a similar answer when asked if the decision had been premature, but said: “The party has decided on that.”

Louth TD Mr Breathnach told the Irish Independent that he doesn’t think everyone that wants to run for the presidency has declared yet. He said it’s the right of local authority and Oireachtas members to wait and see who is in the race and added: “I will reserve that right when I see who the runners and riders are.”