McAleese confirms intention to stand for second term

Mary McAleese has confirmed her intention to put herself forward as an independent candidate for another seven-year term as President.

"After consultation with my family, I have decided to seek election for another term," Prof McAleese said today.

She stressed a "desire and ambition to serve my country for another term".

She added that, as an independent candidate, she hoped for cross-party support. The Constitution allows her to self-nominate for a second term. Prof McAleese was a Fianna Fáil candidate in the last presidential election.

"I'm up and ready for an election campaign," she said.

Ms McAleese said she hoped the public would have confidence in her and were proud of what she had achieved in the last seven years.

She said Ireland was at a very exciting point, there would be big issues opening up and important decisions to be made in coming years.

The theme of her presidency was Building Bridges and Ms McAleese said her priority had always been to create easy, comfortable relationships between north, south, east and west.

“We are trying to get there,” she said. “We are not there yet but we are an awful lot nearer than we were when I started seven years ago.

“It is for others to judge whether I have done a good job and whether I have helped them have pride, trust and confidence in their country.”

The president said she felt certain she had the energy to represent Ireland for another seven years and said she had always felt comfortable in the role and never frustrated.

“There have been so many great moments,” she said. “At a personal level, coming from Belfast, it has been absolutely lovely going back to Northern Ireland and going back to people who have been deeply immersed in loyalist politics.

“I still wake up every morning getting a buzz about what a privilege it is to be president and to be here.”

Ms McAleese quoted the Ulster poet John Hewitt who wrote “We build to fill the centuries’ arrears” but cautioned that Ireland was only at the start of this.

She said she would welcome an energetic, successful election campaign and indicated she was up for a fight.

She said she would be seeking support from a wide political spectrum, insisting she was an independent candidate with no allegiances to any party.

“I do not get involved in day to day politics, but in issues,” she said.

The law professor highlighted significant events such as the Omagh bombing and September 11 2001 as days which had shaped her presidency and expressed hope that the public valued the way she reacted to such atrocities on their behalf.

“I never thought we would have days like that,” she said. “The voters will have to decide whether I am the sort of person to say and do the right thing.”

She said she did not yet have an election team or fund in place but that she would be looking to “keep it tight” and launch a fundraising campaign soon.

An election would be held on October 22 but with other candidates finding it difficult to get the necessary backing, at this stage a battle looks unlikely.