Presidential Election 2018
Regardless of how much of an actual contest it will end up being, Sinn Fein's Ard Comhairle's decision today means there will be a contest, probably on October 26th with the two proposed referenda.
Higgins has announced he is running again and can nominate himself. Sinn Fein have the numbers in the Oireachtas for a nomination themselves, I would presume maybe O'Caolain or Boylan, or even Doherty?. Fine Gael and Labour will back Higgins. Fianna Fail don't have a set position yet I think, but Martin has indicated they will support Higgins.
Independents seeking nominations right now include Senator Gerard Craughwell, Senator Padraig O'Cedigh, Sean Gallagher and Kevin Sharkey. They depend on Oireachtas nominations or councils, which is an iffy process without party backing. Wouldn't be surprised to see a few more come out of the woodwork.
A sitting President hasn't faced an actual re-election campaign since Dev, who very nearly lost back in 66. But you would expect this to a be a cake-walk for Higgins who, barring some kind of unexpected scandal, might still be able to win without campaigning. The age thing is the only significant issue, and that didn't deflect from his popularity last time. Craughwell's made much of his pledge to only serve one term, but on the scale of political falsehoods its fairly minor. What else is there? The overly-praising Castro eulogy? Breaking the government pay cap for advisers? All insignificant really. None of the prospective candidates look anywhere on his level. How do you beat someone in Higgins' position?