President Michael D Higgins ‘won’t engage in dirty tricks’ for re-election

President Michael D Higgins has insisted he will not engage in dirty tricks in order to be re-elected.

He said there was no point in exchanging insults with other candidates, insisting he will run a positive campaign.

This is despite negative headlines over the weekend about expenditure by his office on photography and ongoing focus on his age and previous promise only to serve one term by his rivals.

Speaking in Galway, he said he hoped the focus of the remainder of the campaign would be on what each candidate was offering; their values; their experience and how they would implement their vision.

Mr Higgins drew attention to the constitutional provision for the president addressing the Houses of the Oireachtas, whereby the Council of State would first gather before the Government approved the script that would be delivered in the Dáil.

Mr Higgins said he would consider making such an address if the occasion required it, but said he was quite happy to be able to script his own remarks.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin’s candidate Liadh ni Riada said the public does not want an establishment candidate to be the next president.

She said voters are hungry for change and do not want a coronation to the office.

She said she wished to focus in on issues like homelessness and Brexit, which are the main ones affecting the people. She said she also wished to tap into the optimism for the future.

She insisted there would not be a “straight run for the present incumbent” and that people wanted a president that was “not removed from the public”.

Asked about the forthcoming TV debates, she said voters deserved to hear from all those seeking the office and that those in the running should not have the luxury of being “above the people”.

She said she would be particularly interested to hear what vision Mr Higgins had brought to the presidency in the last seven years and his vision was for the next term.

Businessman Sean Gallagher said he was sticking to his position that he will only partake in debates if all candidates are involved.

He pointed to the fact in 2011, he was offered a one-on-one debate with President Higgins but turned it down in favour of a debate with all candidates.

He insisted that the role is about inclusiveness and he did not want anyone excluded from the race.

At a event entitled, Women Mean Business, Mr Gallagher promised to launch an initiative to improve the rates of female participation in politics.

“The 2nd April 2019 will mark 100 years to the day Countess Markievicz was appointed our first female minister. On this day, I will convene an all-island gathering of past and present female elected representatives to mark the contribution of Countess Markievicz and all female elected officials past and present who have continued her legacy over the last century,” he said.