Fine Gael To Back President Higgins For Second Term
Fine Gael will back Michael D Higgins for a second term as President.
This evening, TDs and Senators decided not to put forward a candidate of their own in order to support the incumbent.
The party's executive council will have the final say on the matter next week - but it is expected to support the decision made this evening.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he's happy to back Michael D Higgins for another term.
He explained: "The recommendation that we're making today is that the Fine Gael party will support President Higgins's bid for re-election - we'll support his campaign actively, and campaign for him.
"We think he's served the country really well, and I think he deserves a second term. Both he and Sabina, I think, have done a fabulous job over the last seven years."
President Higgins also has the backing of Fianna Fáil, with Sinn Féin to decide at the weekend whether they'll put forward a candidate.
Any candidates seeking to trigger an election and run against President Higgins will need the backing of the required 20 TDs or Senators or four local councils.