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Reaching the starting line: A comparative analysis of presidential election nomination requirements – Group 1 report
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Date
2026-03
Abstract
It is widely accepted that the process for nominating candidates for the Presidency of Ireland, which resulted in only three candidates being presented to voters in 2025, is in need of reform.1 Although the selection of candidates is a matter of public concern, there is a lack of transparency in the way this is done behind the closed doors of the Oireachtas or the administrative councils.2 The dissatisfaction felt by the electorate was highlighted by the ‘elephant in the room’,3 a record high portion of spoiled votes in the most recent presidential election of 2025. Spoiled votes represented 12.9% of all votes cast from a turnout which came a close second to the lowest turnout in Irish history in the 2018 election.4 In the last number of presidential elections, voters have reported ultimately choosing by way of deduction, with an increased focus on the pitfalls of candidates’ campaigns than on the virtues of their chosen candidate.5 The rise in individualistic and independent candidates being nominated through the administrative council process from the 2011 election onwards, something which provided hope for the evolution of the process, was ultimately curbed in the 2025 election, which saw the nomination of only three candidates, each of whom was nominated by a political party. This report seeks to evaluate the process of reaching the starting line in the Irish presidential election and comment on the extent to which reform ought to be considered.
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Cahillane, Laura
McLoughlin, Jamie
McLoughlin, Jamie
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School of Law, University of Limerick
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Sustainable Development Goals
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International