IRELAND: PM Wards Off ST Trouble, But Speculation Over Party Leadership To Grow

While Taoiseach (PM) Micheal Martin has seen a blow to his authority over the past week, it looks unlikely to unseat him as leader of the Fianna Fail (FF) party in the short term. Martin's issues stem from the ongoing presidential election campaign. The Taoiseach was viewed to have strongly pushed the campaign of public servant and former Gaelic football coach Jim Gavin as FF's candidate in the upcoming election on 24 Oct. This resulted in a significant political blowback for Martin when Gavin was forced to suspend his campaign after news came to light regarding a debt owed to a former tenant of his. 

• A number of FF Teachtai Dala (TDs, lawmakers) voiced their anger at Martin during a meeting on 8 Oct, claiming that the process of selecting a presidential candidate for the party was flawed and undemocratic.
• While leading FF to a strong result in the 2024 general election, Martin has served as head of the party since 2011. The ill-will engendered by the Gavin saga could fan speculation about the eventual plans for leadership succession.
• RTE reports the view of former Ceann Comhairle (speaker) Sean O Fearghail, who claimed in the meeting that FF "must have a plan in place for a slew of internal reforms by the beginning of 2027, after the country completes its EU presidency term. This is viewed as a signal that the leadership question should be broached at that point..." Under the Programme for Government, Martin will step down as Taoiseach in November 2027, to be replaced by Simon Harris from the junior coalition partner, Fine Gael.