Bertie Ahern denies he rejoined Fianna Fáil to run for president
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Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has denied that he rejoined Fianna Fáil in order to run for the presidency.
Mr Ahern was confirmed to have rejoined the party he led for nearly 15 years last week after a decade in the wilderness. He had resigned from Fianna Fáil after Micheál Martin proposed removing him after the findings of the Mahon Tribunal.
He rejoined the party's Dublin Central cumann in late December after paying a €20 registration fee but speaking on Newstalk's , he denied that his return to Fianna Fáil came with one eye on Áras an Úachtarain in 2025.
“I assure you this Pat, there should be no connection between me re-joining one of the party’s 3,000 cumanns — because I was always there and affiliated — and what might happen in the future.
“At this stage, I have no thoughts about the next presidential election. I’m not ruling it out because I don’t think the issue should even be discussed at this stage.”
Mr Ahern said that talk of the presidency was "for another day" and said that he had simply returned to the party by "paying my 20 quid" and that it "is not like I came back as taoiseach".
“When it does come up, somewhere in the middle of 2025, everybody then who has an interest will have to express it.
“Whether I have or not then, God knows. It will come up in 2025 and I’m sure there will be loads of candidates from what I hear and whether I even think about — I have discussed it with nobody.
“I haven’t discussed it with my best friends because it’s not on my agenda.”
Mr Ahern, who is launching a podcast with the broadcaster on the Good Friday Agreement, added that "all I did was join my local cumann".