00:00Did the Irish government block people from running for president?
00:06Online users are falsely alleging that anyone seeking to run for president of Ireland requires
00:12government backing and that the government actively tried to block those it disagrees with.
00:17Ireland's presidential election is due to take place in late October,
00:21with three candidates seeking to succeed outgoing president Michael D. Higgins,
00:26the smallest field of candidates since the 1990 election.
00:29This video, which has been seen more than 100,000 times on X,
00:33claims that the ballot list could have been longer had the government not interfered,
00:37and that the election won't be fair because citizens can't vote for who they want.
00:41In Ireland right now, the government is blocking any candidates they don't agree with.
00:47However, Ireland's electoral commission clearly sets out the criteria for who can become president
00:52and how candidates get nominated. To be eligible to run for the office,
00:56a person must be an Irish citizen at age 35 or older.
01:00There are then three different methods to get nominated. Firstly,
01:04a presidential candidate can be nominated by at least 20 members of the Irish Parliament,
01:09be they TDs, members of the lower house, or senators. Failing that, someone who wants to run
01:14for president must be nominated by at least four local authorities, such as county or city councils.
01:21Finally, former or retiring presidents can nominate themselves if they've only served one term.
01:26So, it's wrong to suggest that the government can block potential candidates from running for
01:31president, and it appears that the video incorrectly conflates the government with
01:35parliament, which isn't the same thing. While some members of parliament who might also be
01:40government ministers may refuse to nominate a given person, they decide on an individual basis,
01:46and that person can seek nominations from other TDs or senators, whichever party they belong to.
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