I can't afford President bid insists Bertie
Bertie Ahern will not be running for President -- because he says he can't afford to fund a campaign.
The former Taoiseach (59) confirmed to the Herald that he would not be putting his name forward in the race for the Aras.
Citing a lack of finances and support, making it a "pointless exercise", he also said that if his Fianna Fail party is to put anybody's name in the ring, they would want to do it soon.
Mr Ahern indicated last year that he was interested in running for President, but this week Fianna Fail distanced itself from his ambitions.
Party leader Micheal Martin said "I don't think that's something that's on the agenda at all" that Mr Ahern's name would be going forward.
Mr Ahern himself cleared the issue up once and for all by saying a definitive "no" when asked by the Herald if he intended to join the race.
"I definitely won't be putting my name on the list. I always said I'd have my mind made up by St Patrick's Day but I actually decided before that, as far back as January," Mr Ahern said.
"I don't have the funds, for a start, to mount a campaign. You need a lot of money for these things," he added.
"I don't expect I would have the support either, when you look at Brian Lenihan's campaign in 1990 he went in with a 44pc approval rating and still didn't get it," he said.
"Now with the party only on 17pc approval after the election, even if you doubled it you still wouldn't come close to what Brian Lenihan had," he added.
Micheal Martin has still not indicated if Fianna Fail will field a candidate, but Bertie Ahern has said the party leader needs to make his mind up soon.
"If Fianna Fail are going to nominate someone they'd want to do it soon, because it is May now and the time is running out," he said.
Asked who he thought might be frontrunners in the campaign, Mr Ahern said John Bruton would be a contender if he decided to go for it.
"I think if John Bruton puts his name forward he could get it. Also Michael D Higgins and David Norris have a very good chance and both are great speakers and very experienced, and would represent us well abroad," he added.
hnews@herald.ie
- Conor Feehan
