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Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Who is Mairead McGuinness, the early front-runner in the presidential race?
Mairead McGuinness has been known to say, according to her allies, that the best thing to ever happen to her was failing to get the Fine Gael nomination for the presidential race in 2011. The party's candidate, Gay Mitchell, had a dismal outing, winning just 6.4 per cent of the vote, almost 30 points lower than the party's general election result earlier that year. McGuinness polled strongly in party research, but Mitchell won through an internal contest, before being blown off the pitch. 'The timing is better now,' says an ally of McGuinness. READ MORE Since then, the Louth native has been re-elected twice as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), in 2014 and 2019, serving as vice-president of the European Parliament. After the defenestration of Phil Hogan following the controversy over Golfgate and his movements during Covid quarantine rules, she served for four years as his successor as Ireland's European commissioner. Now, she is the early front-runner for the 2025 race for the Áras, coming through the Fine Gael selection process unopposed. McGuinness is the front-runner in today's Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll at 14 per cent, followed by Independent TD Catherine Connolly on 9 per cent and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald on 8 per cent. [ Battle for the Áras gets under way Opens in new window ] Recent presidential elections have a political blood sport quality to them; history, character and personality are on the line. Despite her track record, as this race shifts gears, Brussels veterans who also know Irish politics say she must prepare for an entirely different type of campaigning. 'Domestic politicians are tested every day of the week,' says one. When it comes to a contest like the presidency, 'she's never been tested'. Media nous and Brussels skills Louth native Mairead McGuinness was re-elected twice as a member of the European Parliament, in 2014 and 2019. Photograph: Lionel Ng/Bloomberg via Getty Images McGuinness came to public prominence as a journalist, firstly as a researcher on the Late Late Show, then in the farming media, and as an RTÉ presenter. A former media colleague remembers her with high regard as genial, fair and disciplined. 'If you f**ked up, she was very even-tempered about it,' they say, before adding: 'If you continued messing up, you'd be dealt with.' Others who have worked with her in politics mirror this, describing her as someone who is firm but fair, diligent, values loyalty, 'good fun' and straightforward. 'No plamásing shite talk with her – she is very straight and lands her points carefully,' said one. She won an MEP seat in Ireland East in 2004, but failed to take a Dáil seat in Louth in 2007. She is married to a sheep farmer, so agriculture and family remain close to her heart, according to those who know her. While well respected within Fine Gael, one senior party figure believes her relatively late entry into politics, combined with her station outside national politics, leaves her somewhat apart from the cultural and power centre of the party. Without coming up through the party, for some she was 'someone who nobody ever got to know', says this person. Another source is less charitable: 'If ever there was a sole trader, this is one.' Multiple sources in Brussels describe her as a consummate operator of the levers of EU politics. 'She's a superb networker, a superb communicator, a superb insider,' says one, describing her ability to cultivate relationships within the European Peoples' Party, the political grouping of which Fine Gael is a member, and which formed her power base within the parliament. 'She's very effective on political networking – never misses an event, knows wide circles of people.' Frances Fitzgerald, the former tánaiste and Fine Gael MEP who was also mooted as a presidential candidate, assesses the differences between EU and domestic politics. [ The presidency is not a Rose of Tralee contest for over-35s Opens in new window ] '[Brussels] is all about connecting, it is about consensus building, bringing diverse views and opinions together, reaching beyond the divide,' she says – a very 'civilised' politics, rarely personal, where language and compromise are important. Those close to McGuinness dispute the idea that Brussels politics is more genteel than its Irish equivalent, but it is hard to argue that they are the same beast. 'It does not have the rough and tumble of Irish politics, it does not exist there,' says Fitzgerald. The key question will be whether McGuinness's Brussels skills translate to the presidential race. 'The parliament whisperer' Ursula von der Leyen often dispatched Mairead McGuinness to quell unrest in the parliament, particularly on agriculture policy. Photograph:A wellspring of ambition has driven McGuinness's trajectory, according to those who have observed her closely: 'She's always looking for the next role – the next thing.' McGuinness keeps her cards close to her chest, says a Fine Gael source, 'but she makes moves at key points'. Asked about this, a person who has worked closely with McGuinness asks: 'If you don't back yourself, who the hell is going to back you?' She let it be known that she wanted the commissioner's job when Hogan resigned, and pitched for a second term when the appointment was Fianna Fáil's to make under the terms of the agreement underpinning the 2020-2024 coalition. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen heavily hinted that she would be in line for a more senior post if renominated, but the Government was unmoved. Her record in Brussels will come in for close examination – with particular scrutiny on high-profile issues or relationships rather than legislative slog work. Among these red-button issues will be her political alignment with von der Leyen. McGuinness is seen as someone who was more at home in the European Parliament than inside the Berlaymont where the commission is based. Von der Leyen often dispatched McGuinness to quell unrest in the parliament, particularly on agriculture policy. 'She would have been the parliament whisperer,' one official says. While this is a privileged position within the Brussels firmament, her proximity to von der Leyen may not be an electoral asset. The commission president's position on Gaza, in particular, is miles from where many Irish voters are. Allies say McGuinness found the Gaza assault 'abhorrent' from the outset, and argue it would be her approach to have difficult conversations privately, 'not from soap boxes'. She is also likely to face scrutiny over votes in the parliament. This will include voting against a 2019 resolution on search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean, citing concerns over information sharing with people smugglers. But the vote was welcomed by far-right and anti-immigration MEPs, and Fine Gael's position drew a chorus of criticism. A leaked report she authored that year on increasing dialogue between religious organisations and MEPs was criticised by some who said it would increase the influence of religious groups on the parliament. The European Parliament Platform for Secularism in Politics expressed 'deep concerns' about it at the time. McGuinness said then it would not offer extra lobbying strength to individual groups, arguing: 'If anything, it is about bringing Europe closer to the people.' These issues are classic examples of how actions in Brussels can become a vulnerability when refracted through the prism of domestic politics. The same can be said for her claiming €800,000 in office expenses over 20 years while using family property as her constituency office. [ Fine Gael presidential hopeful Mairead McGuinness got €800k in EU expenses for costs of office she owns Opens in new window ] What sort of president would she be? McGuinness is yet to sketch out how she sees the presidency and she has not undertaken a round of media interviews or doorsteps, something that Fine Gael sources say should not be expected for several weeks. This strategy is risk averse, but not without risk. Some believe it is dangerous, may create the impression of arrogance and could rebound on her. Party sources say the period between now and the campaign launch in September will be used to prepare and to engage with voters. The problem, of course, is that in a single national constituency, the ground war of meeting and greeting is less important than the highly transmissible air war through the media. The risk of damage to a front-runner is minimised, but there is an opportunity cost. The timing of the Fine Gael nomination left space for an internal contest that did not materialise, much to the regret of some within the party (although others speculate whether the path was cleared for McGuinness). Michael D Higgins's final term in Áras an Uachtaráin ends in November. Photograph:Former Fine Gael strategist Frank Flannery argues that an 'acrimonious contest' would have been negative for the party, however, so the absence of one can neither be seen as a win or a loss. 'You take it the way you get it,' he says. Those who know her expect her to have a respectful attitude towards the office, particularly regarding the relationship between the Áras and Government Buildings, something that incumbent Michael D Higgins is seen as having pushed the boundaries of. 'She will be a very safe pair of hands for the Government because she won't step across the line,' says one observer who seems unconvinced by McGuinness so far. 'She is the establishment's candidate.' If that perception becomes established, it could be a hindrance, especially for those looking for a Higgins-like presidency. Flannery, however, argues that the qualities of a president are particular. Citing research he did in 2011, the last time McGuinness sought the job, he says voters wanted a combination of the virtues of the two previous holders of the office, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese – most neatly expressed as someone they could be proud of – 'proud of what they did for Ireland, and felt them friendly and accessible'. The challenge, says another Fine Gael source, will be tapping into that feeling. 'She has an intellectual ability to do the connecting – the challenge will be to do the emotional connecting, to show she has that warmth.'
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Bitcoin Hits Record High of $120,000 as Bullish Momentum Builds
Bitcoin reached $120,000 for the first time, with investor optimism increasing almost daily after it emerged from a narrow trading range that had left skeptics wondering whether the original cryptocurrency would regain the record-breaking momentum seen at the start of the year. After surging on the election of Donald Trump to a second US presidential term, Bitcoin had settled into a pattern of fluctuating on either side of $100,000 for several months. Concern about Trump's political and economic policies had helped to temper optimism over the pro-crypto agenda of his administration. Now with other risk assets such as stocks back around record highs, Bitcoin has also resumed its push higher.
France 24
6 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Cameroon's 92-year-old President Biya to seek eighth term
Cameroon's President Paul Biya said Sunday that he would be seeking an eighth term in office in October's elections in a bid to extend his nearly 43 years in power. Biya, 92, posted the announcement on X in French and English. 'I am a candidate for the 12 October 2025 presidential election. Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the serious challenges facing us,' he wrote. 'Together, there are no challenges we cannot meet. The best is still to come.' Biya was already the de facto candidate of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), of which he is party leader. Several longstanding supporters of Biya have appeared to distance themselves from him in recent months, and there have been two high-profile defections from Biya's camp in recent weeks. But the opposition is deeply divided and is struggling to unite behind a single candidate.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Cameroon's Biya, 92, announces bid for eighth presidential term
YAOUNDE, July 13 (Reuters) - Cameroon's nonagenarian head of state, Paul Biya, will run for re-election in this year's presidential vote expected on October 12, a post on the president's X account said on Sunday. "I am a candidate in the presidential election of October 12, 2025. Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face," the post on the official account said. Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state, came to power more than four decades ago in 1982, when his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned. His health is the subject of frequent speculation, most recently last year when he disappeared from public view for 42 days.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cameroon's leader sets the next presidential election for October without saying if he will run
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Cameroon on Friday set the next presidential election for Oct. 12, according to a statement from the country's longtime president. The vote comes at a key time for the west African nation whose 92-year-old leader has not ruled out that he would seek another term. Paul Biya, Africa's second longest-serving president after Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, is frequently sick and abroad, and last year, talk spread that he had died, prompting the government to publicly deny the rumors. The over 40 years of Biya's stay in power has left a lasting impact. His government has faced various challenges, including allegations of corruption and a secessionist movement in Cameroon's English-speaking provinces that has forced thousands out of school and triggered deadly clashes with security forces. Cameroon has also had to deal with spillover violence by the Islamic extremist Boko Haram group, based in neighboring Nigeria. Recently, several of Biya's longtime allies defected to announce their own candidacies for president. Bello Bouba Maigari, Cameroon's tourism minister, quit last week after Issa Tchiroma Bakary resigned as minister of employment and vocational training, both pitching themselves as the right candidates to succeed Biya. Biya, in power since 1982, is also Cameroon's second president since independence from France in 1960. Though he has not announced whether he would seek another term, he has hinted at accepting the ruling party's requests for him to run again. He cruised to victory in 2018 with over 70% of the vote in an election marred by irregularities and low turnout due to ongoing separatist and jihadi violence. In a region threatened with shrinking democratic space, several other African countries also have presidents accused of using state mechanisms to prolong their stay in power. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni recently sought nomination for a seventh term, a move that would bring him closer to five decades in power in the East African country.
