The Ireland-South MEP had put his name before the parliamentary party.
Cork based Ireland-South Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has stopped short of expressing confidence in party leader Micheál Martin, following the controversy surrounding Jim Gavin’s withdrawn presidential campaign.
Kelleher says there are still serious questions about how the party handled the candidate selection process, including who approached Gavin, who oversaw his preparation, and the level of scrutiny applied before he was confirmed as a candidate.
“These issues need to be addressed before anyone can fully back the party leadership heading into the next general election.”
The comments come amid growing scrutiny of Fianna Fáil’s internal processes and raise fresh questions about party leadership and candidate vetting ahead of future elections.
Listen to Billy Kelleher on the Opinion Line with PJ Coogan:
