Irish presidential race heats up as 24 October set as polling date

Nominations for the Irish presidential election will close on 24 September, with the polling date set for one month later

People in the Republic of Ireland are set to go to the polls on Friday 24 October to vote in the Irish presidential election.

The date was officially signed off by Irish Housing and Local Minister James Browne on Wednesday afternoon.

The presidential order means there is now a period of 21 days before nominations close. Nominations can be received from 17:00 local time on Friday.

Candidates will have to secure the sufficient backing by midday on Wednesday 24 September in order to appear on the ballot.

In order to officially be nominated, candidates need the backing of either 20 members of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) or four of the 31 local authorities.

To run you also have to be an Irish citizen and aged over 35.

Voters hoping to avail of a postal or special vote must submit their applications by 29 September.

There are 3.6m eligible voters in the Republic of Ireland, according to the register of electors.

The polls will open at 07:00 and close at 22:00.

Who is running for president?

With the close of nominations just three weeks away, contenders have begun to enter the political fray.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly first launched her bid for the presidency in July, garnering enough support from left-leaning parties to be on the ballot.

Former Irish cabinet minister Heather Humphreys was confirmed to be the Fine Gael candidate earlier this week, after the party's original candidate Mairead McGuinness withdrew due to health reasons.

Séan Kelly backed out of the Fine Gael selection process after not getting enough support.

The Republic's largest party, Fianna Fáil, have yet to formally decide a candidate, with former Dublin gaelic football manager Jim Gavin and MEP Billy Kelleher in the running.

Over the weekend, Taoiseach (Irish PM) and party leader Micheál Martin pledged his support for Gavin - however, about 40 members of the party have not yet declared who they will be backing.

Sinn Féin has not confirmed whether it will run a candidate or back someone else, but speaking to the BBC in August, Mary Lou McDonald said her party would make an announcement this month.

There are also a number of independent candidates who are hoping to seek the support of the local authorities, including Irish entrepreneur Gareth Sheridan and former Met Éireann meteorologist Joanna Donnelly.

What is the role of the Irish president?

The president of Ireland acts as the head of state.

It is a largely ceremonial role, representing Ireland at public events at national and international level.

Only citizens residing in the Republic of Ireland have the right to vote in presidential elections.

Michael D Higgins was inaugurated as the ninth president in 2011 and was re-elected in October 2018.

Michael D Higgins, 84, will end his 14-year term as president on 11 November

He is not eligible to stand again as he will have completed two full seven-year terms.

Higgins succeeded Mary McAleese, who has been the only president from Northern Ireland.