Bertie Ahern rejoins Fianna Fáil after quitting party more than 10 years ago
The Berti Micheál Him Mahon The Report From Moved Party Expel Martin Publication 2012 The Tribunal To Before Resigned Of Ahern In Following
Bertie Ahern is back in Fianna Fáil after leaving the party more than a 10 years ago.
Mr Ahern resigned from the party in 2012 before Micheál Martin moved to expel him following the publication of the Mahon Tribunal report.
However, momentum around his return had built in recent months, with a number of Fianna Fáil TDs saying that Mr Ahern's work on the Good Friday Agreement should be marked ahead of the agreement's 25th anniversary.
It is understood that Mr Ahern paid the €20 membership and rejoined the Dublin Central branch of the party at the end of 2022.
A party spokesperson confirmed that the former taoiseach has rejoined the party.
“We received a membership application and it was accepted by the Party," the spokesperson said.
Despite his previous experience and position, Mr Ahern will serve one year as a "provisional member" and will not have voting rights.
It has been speculated that Mr Ahern would be the party's nominee for the 2025 Presidential election and, contacted by the in September, a spokesperson did not deny his interest.
Mr Martin had previously made clear he is “open to considering” an application to allow Mr Ahern to rejoin the party, saying “it has been 10 years” since he resigned under a cloud of controversy.
The reported last year that there had been talk of Mr Ahern rejoining the party and that his supporters had been canvassing opinions about him in preparation for the next Presidential election.
Mr Ahern has long harboured ambitions to become President, and it is believed his supporters are confident a bid for the Áras in 2025 would be successful in light of his renewed involvement in seeking to resolve the impasse surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Mr Ahern, now aged 71, has seen his reputation considerably rehabilitated given his standing and engagement in the North since the Brexit referendum. Along with former British prime minister Tony Blair, he has been assisting the Dublin and London governments in their efforts to restore the Stormont Assembly.