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Sinn Fein set to nominate candidate for Irish presidential election

Michelle Gildernew, former North’s agriculture minister, is tipped

JAMES O’SHEA,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 10:59 AM

Updated Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 10:59 AM

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Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams with former Northern Irish Minister for Agriculture Michelle Gildernew

Photo by Sinn Féin Fhear Manach & Tír Eoghain Theas Flickr

Sinn Fein will nominate a candidate for president of Ireland and former Northern Irish Minister for Agriculture Michelle Gildernew,(41), is the likely choice according to reports.

The Sinn Fein annual convention is this weekend and the party is expected to announce that they will field a candidate following the refusal of Fianna Fail to do so.

Party leaders see the Fianna Fail failure to contest as a major opportunity for them to become the leading opposition party in the Irish Republic.

The two front runners for the race are both from the governing parties, Michael D.Higgins of Labor and Gay Mitchell of Fine Gael.

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Other potential runners include the party’s former European MP and now Irish member of parliament Mary Lou McDonald and current Monaghan member of parliament Caoimghin o Caolain.

A Sinn Fein candidate is unlikely to win but would certainly shake up the race which has suffered a number of major defections, most notably independent candidate Senator David Norris who was long the front runnerGildernew has been the Member of Parliament for the Fermanagh and South

Tyrone constituency since 2001 and has been a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency since 25 June 1998. She is married with three children

Gildernew has been a member of the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) and is the party's spokeswoman on equality and housing and has served on the Equality sub-committee and the Women's Forum.

Gildernew’s family were leading figures in the civil rights campaign in the 1960s

Nster.com

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Kilsally | Sep 08, 2011, 10:07 AM EDT

stanJames - ideologcally, communism is great but in reality it doesn`t work. Lazy people get the same as hard working people - there is no incentive to do anything better. Not sure capitalism is any better in the long run as it seems to create a huge wealth gap with the rich getting richer and the poor ,poorer which results in sink estates and the riots we saw in London (can tie this into various rioting in Belfast in Loyalist and Republican areas to a degree too)

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DaithiSuibhne | Sep 07, 2011, 08:53 PM EDT

It's doubtful anything will come out of this,myself I'd rather see Ruairi O'Bradaigh as a fitting candidate. In reality does this'Presidential Office' have any 'Real' power to make a difference in our corrupt government?

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stanJames | Sep 07, 2011, 01:12 PM EDT

response to Kilsally re "marxist president" comment First of all, the hatred of communists / marxists came from hitler who hated the Jews. Mixed with the catholic church which hated the marxists because they were godless. Marx, Trotsky and some others were Jewish. Their goal was a society where everyone was equal economically. But the whole of Russia was corrupted from before the communist - so corrupt that marxism became corrected also. communisim may not work in practice, but doesn't the idea of all being economically equal (or reasonably so) sound like What Jesus would have wanted? Jesus did "upset the talbles of the money lenders / changers at the temple gates" Today those money changers / lenders are the big banks which gave America and much of the western world the second (almost great) republican (our conservatives) great depression. At least 1oo families in the USA - the father was so depressed and distraught he not only killed himself, but first killed their own families - Wives and children.

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cillowen | Sep 07, 2011, 11:32 AM EDT

why not good looker Gerry himself - except for the accent. As for Marx, his vision of the world where the need for worker bees being no longer a concern for our controlling overlords. Thanks to awesome technology that is now in their and our? hands, to destroy jobs with. Wonder the billions they'll be spending on their next tweedle dee choice for us. A servant whose salary is a mere .25K a year.

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fermanaghman | Sep 07, 2011, 10:10 AM EDT

Excellent prospects, Gerry!

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mcdolan | Sep 07, 2011, 09:48 AM EDT

Still holding out got David Norris to re-enter.

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Kilsally | Sep 07, 2011, 08:43 AM EDT

Not sure the Republic of Ireland is ready for a Marxist President!

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