Irish voters choose president from varied candidates

The Irish people are expected to greet their next president soon as ballot counting begins on Friday after Thursday's presidential election. Among the seven candidates running for an office that has no real political power are a former Irish Republic Army (IRA) paramilitary commander, a Eurovision music contest winner, a TV entrepreneur and a poet. Presidential elections are rare in Ireland. The six presidencies in the past were largely won by uncontested nominees in low-turnout elections. This year, the candidates ran completely on their personalities and characters in the election process, which was rife with scandalous accusations and unflattering revelations about some of the competitors. Until earlier this week, independent candidate Sean Gallagher was seen as a frontrunner. He is an entrepreneur and judge on an Irish TV program where contestants present business ideas and vie for investment capital. His business background made him a favorite in the current Irish economic environment, and he has promised to make enterprises the focus of his presidency. However, Gallagher's lead was lost when another candidate, Martin McGuinness, accused him of taking money from a convicted fuel smuggler on behalf of the Fianna Fail party. Gallagher denied the claim, but the accusation highlighted his close ties to the former ruling Fianna Fail party, which most Irish voters blamed for the country's current economic woes. McGuinness also had his own problems, especially his past association with the IRA. McGuinness spent six months in prison after being caught in 1973 with a car containing about 113 kg of explosives and some other ammunition. Candidate Michael D. Higgins is a 70-year-old poet and former arts minister. He has promised to use the office to highlight cultural issues in Ireland. Also running is openly gay candidate David Norris, who had been in the lead before a revelation went public that he had sought clemency for his former Israeli partner, who had been convicted of statutory rape. Other candidates include the ruling Fine Gael party nominee Gay Mitchell, whose campaign has focused on social justice; former Eurovision winner Dana Rosemary Scallon; and Mary Davis, who is best known for organizing the Special Olympic World Games in Ireland in 2003. Many voters said they did not have a clear favorite in the race."The president doesn't have political power, but they have to be able to represent Ireland internationally," said 40-year-old Dublin architect Vicky Landy.