Did the Irish government block people from running for president?

Online users are falsely alleging that anyone seeking to run for president of Ireland requires government backing and that the government actively tried to block those it disagrees with.

Ireland’s presidential election is due to take place on 24 October 2025, with three candidates seeking to succeed outgoing president Michael D Higgins: Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys. This is the smallest number of candidates since the 1990 election.

One video, which has been seen more than 100,000 times on X, claims that the ballot list could have been longer had the government not interfered. It added that the election won’t be fair because citizens can’t vote for who they want.

“In Ireland right now, the government is blocking any candidates they don’t agree with,” the video says. “Keep in mind this is a democracy.”

However, Ireland’s electoral commission clearly sets out the criteria for who can become president and how candidates get nominated.

To be eligible to run for the office, a person must be an Irish citizen and aged 35 or older.

There are then three different methods to be nominated: firstly, a potential candidate can be nominated by at least 20 members of the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament), be they TDs—members of the lower house—or senators.

Failing that, someone who wants to run for president must be nominated by at least four local authorities, such as county or city councils.

Finally, former or retiring presidents can nominate themselves if they’ve only served one term. Presidents hold office for seven years and can be elected for a maximum of two terms, as was the case for President Michael D. Higgins. The nomination period ended on 24 September.

So, it’s wrong to suggest that the government can block potential candidates from running for president, and it appears that the video incorrectly conflates the government with parliament, which is not the same thing.

While some members of parliament, who might also be government ministers, may refuse to nominate a given person, they decide on an individual basis, and that person can seek nominations from other TDs or senators, whichever party they belong to.

EuroVerify previously studied eligibility requirements for Ireland’s presidency when former martial arts fighter Conor McGregor announced that he would run for the office on an anti-immigration platform in March 2025.

McGregor said he was no longer seeking to run for president earlier in September, “following careful reflection, and after consulting with my family.”