🔗 Share this article Fianna Fáil's Candidate Pulls Out from Ireland's Race for the Presidency In a stunning development, a key primary candidates in the Irish election for president has quit the contest, upending the entire competition. Withdrawal Announcement Transforms Campaign Landscape Fianna Fáil's presidential hopeful stepped down on Sunday night following disclosures about an financial obligation to a previous occupant, converting the contest into an uncertain head-to-head battle between a moderate right ex-minister and an autonomous progressive parliamentarian. Gavin, 54, a newcomer to politics who joined the race after work in sport, aviation and the military, withdrew after it emerged he had failed to return a rent overpayment of €3,300 when he was a landlord about 16 years ago, during a period of economic hardship. "I committed an error that was not in keeping with my character and the expectations I hold. I am currently resolving the issue," he declared. "I have also thought long and hard, concerning the influence of the ongoing campaign on the wellbeing of my family and friends. "Weighing all these factors, I've chosen to exit from the presidential election contest with immediate effect and go back to my family." Race Narrowed to Leading Candidates The biggest shock in a presidential campaign in living memory narrowed the contest to one candidate, a former cabinet minister who is representing the governing moderate right Fine Gael party, and another candidate, an vocal advocate for Palestine who is supported by a political party and left-leaning minor parties. Problem for Leader The withdrawal also caused a problem for the prime minister and party head, Micheál Martin, who had risked his standing by choosing an inexperienced hopeful over the skepticism of party colleagues. Martin said Gavin did not want to "create turmoil" to the presidential role and was right to withdraw. "He acknowledged that he was at fault in relation to an matter that has emerged recently." Political Difficulties Even with a track record of capability and achievements in business and sport – Gavin had steered the Dublin football squad to five straight titles – his election effort faltered through blunders that caused him to fall behind in an survey even ahead of the debt news. Individuals within Fianna Fáil who had been against choosing Gavin said the episode was a "serious miscalculation" that would have "consequences" – a implied threat to the leader. Voting System Gavin's name may remain on the ballot in the poll taking place in late October, which will end the 14-year tenure of Michael D Higgins, but the electorate now confronts a binary choice between a traditional center candidate and an non-aligned left-leaning candidate. Opinion research conducted ahead of his departure gave Connolly a third of the vote and Humphreys nearly a quarter, with the former candidate at 15 percent. Under electoral rules, the electorate chooses candidates in order of preference. Should no contender surpass 50% on the first count, the contender receiving the lowest primary selections is eliminated and their ballots are redistributed to the following option. Potential Vote Transfers Observers anticipated that if Gavin was eliminated, a majority of his ballots would transfer to Humphreys, and conversely, increasing the likelihood that a mainstream contender would win the presidential office for the governing partnership. Role of the Presidency The presidency is a primarily ceremonial position but incumbents and past holders made it a venue for worldwide concerns. Final Contenders Connolly, 68, from Galway, would add a firm left-leaning stance to that legacy. She has assailed capitalist systems and stated the organization constitutes "a fundamental element" of the Palestinian community. She has accused Nato of militarism and equated Berlin's enhanced defense expenditure to the pre-war era, when the Nazi leader built up military forces. Humphreys, 62, has encountered examination over her record as a minister in cabinets that oversaw a property shortage. A Presbyterian from the county Monaghan near the border, she has also been faulted for her lack of Irish language skills but commented her religious background could assist in gaining Northern Ireland's unionists in a combined country.