Letters to the Editor: Withdrawal of Jim Gavin creates crisis

We must urgently discuss how to safeguard the nomination process

If these groups succeed in electing a withdrawn candidate, Jim Gavin would be presented with a stark choice. Picture: Cillian Sherlock/PA

The fallout from the presidential campaign, particularly the withdrawal of Jim Gavin, must force a stark realisation: our democracy is now potentially navigating a dangerous and self-inflicted crisis. The withdrawal of Fianna Fáil’s candidate and its implications only scratch the surface of the constitutional recklessness currently afoot.

We have arrived at a point where the entire integrity of the election, and indeed the office of the President, could be undermined by a targeted protest vote. It is deeply disturbing to see reports of a sizable cohort of “online warriors” and members of the alt-right cohort advocating for a protest strategy — by spoiling votes to push non-candidates like Maria Steen and Nick Delehanty. Now it seems they are collectively pledging their number one vote to the now-withdrawn candidate Jim Gavin.