Fallout proves too much as Norris quits race

THE race for the presidency was blown wide open after front-runner David Norris bowed out under a cloud of controversy.

Announcing that he would no longer seek nominations to contest the race, the independent senator said he had shown it is possible for a gay person to be seen as a viable candidate for the highest office in the land.

Mr Norris announced his decision outside his Georgian home in Dublin, following days of controversy over a 1997 letter in which he sought leniency in the sentencing of Ezra Yizhak Nawi, who was convicted of statutory rape.