JOURNALIST Gemma O'Doherty has announced that she will run to become the next President of Ireland.
O'Doherty, an investigative journalist, took to social media to reveal her intentions to replace Michael D. Higgins as president of the country.
She hopes to gain a nomination with the support of 20 TDs or senators in the Oireachtas.
However, with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour backing Mr Higgins for a second term, there is a limited pool of TDs and senators available to back an independent candidate.
In announcing her candidacy, Ms O'Doherty expressed her belief that Ireland is broken and needs fixing.
“We owe it to ourselves, to our children, to our country’s reputation, and to our forebearers who had a very different vision for this beautiful island that is our home. The time has come to demand a new Ireland," she said.
"As an Irishwoman who loves her country to its core but hardly recognises it any more, I am deeply concerned about the unimaginable suffering and chaos so many of our people are subjected to daily.
"I despair for Ireland and what it has become.
"Like many of you, I am frustrated that we keep allowing the same mistakes to happen over and over again.
"In my work as an investigative journalist, I have witnessed first-hand the despicable treatment of citizens who have stood up and tried to fight for their basic rights," she continued.
O’Doherty joins Gavin Duffy, Senator Joan Freeman, Kevin Sharkey and ex-Aer Lingus employee Patrick Feeney in the race to become president.
O’Doherty concluded her statement by saying that the way to fix "broken" Ireland is to tackle “the greed and corruption of the tiny elite who continue to destroy it for the majority”.
“As our country embarks on a new one hundred years, we can turn that dream into a reality so that generations to come will look back and say we were the ones who stood up and demanded change. It starts here today.”
The presidential election takes place in November of this year.
