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1973 Irish presidential election Turnout 62.2% (3.1% )
The 1973 Irish presidential election was held on Wednesday, 30 May 1973. The outgoing president Éamon de Valera was ineligible for re-election after serving two terms in office. Former Tánaiste Erskine H. Childers , nominated by Fianna Fáil , was elected as president of Ireland , defeating Fine Gael deputy leader, Tom O'Higgins , who had come within 1% of defeating Éamon de Valera in the 1966 presidential election.
Nomination process [ edit ]
Under Article 12 of the Constitution of Ireland , a candidate for president could be nominated by:
On 25 April, the Minister for Local Government made the order for the presidential election, with noon on 8 May as the date for nominations, and 30 May as the date of polling.[1]
Campaign [ edit ]
O'Higgins was approved as the Fine Gael candidate on 31 January.[2] Childers was approved as the Fianna Fáil candidate on 6 April.[3] George Colley was director of elections for Childers.[4] O'Higgins was the early favourite to win, with odds of 1/2, against 6/4 for Childers.[5]
Popular vote
Childers
52.0%
O'Higgins
48.0%
Results by constituency
Constituency
Childers
O'Higgins
Votes
%
Votes
%
Carlow–Kilkenny
23,231
52.0
21,458
48.0
Cavan
14,001
51.1
13,399
48.9
Clare
16,412
61.4
10,335
38.6
Clare–South Galway
14,470
56.9
10,946
43.1
Cork City North-West
15,589
62.9
9,196
37.1
Cork City South-East
15,918
60.0
10,625
40.0
Cork Mid
21,603
53.2
19,011
46.8
Cork North-East
20,887
54.8
17,253
45.2
Cork South-West
13,745
47.6
15,102
52.4
Donegal North-East
12,253
56.8
9,329
43.2
Donegal–Leitrim
14,326
55.1
11,689
44.9
Dublin Central
12,081
47.4
13,385
52.6
Dublin County North
18,625
49.5
18,993
50.5
Dublin County South
15,561
48.4
16,586
51.6
Dublin North-Central
14,012
48.0
15,162
52.0
Dublin North-East
16,613
47.9
18,081
52.1
Dublin North-West
12,102
48.2
12,981
51.8
Dublin South-Central
15,117
49.5
15,399
50.5
Dublin South-East
11,540
49.7
11,698
50.3
Dublin South-West
10,924
46.4
12,641
53.6
Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown
18,037
47.9
19,655
52.1
Galway North-East
12,005
50.5
11,756
49.5
Galway West
12,920
55.3
10,458
44.7
Kerry North
12,206
52.5
11,038
47.5
Kerry South
12,280
52.6
11,071
47.4
Kildare
15,689
54.1
13,291
45.9
Laois–Offaly
21,078
50.4
20,740
49.6
Limerick East
17,897
51.4
16,952
48.6
Limerick West
16,013
55.6
12,772
44.4
Longford–Westmeath
17,324
51.9
16,050
48.1
Louth
14,556
55.7
11,575
44.3
Mayo East
11,290
48.2
12,141
51.8
Mayo West
10,983
48.7
11,558
51.3
Meath
14,542
53.7
12,534
46.3
Monaghan
13,706
52.8
12,261
47.2
Roscommon–Leitrim
12,884
47.7
14,127
52.3
Sligo–Leitrim
12,832
50.0
12,829
50.0
Tipperary North
14,723
53.6
12,748
46.4
Tipperary South
20,002
55.0
16,339
45.0
Waterford
15,785
54.6
13,116
45.4
Wexford
16,279
46.3
18,878
53.7
Wicklow
13,826
52.3
12,613
47.7
Total
635,867
52.0
587,771
48.0
References [ edit ]
^ "Closing date for presidential nominations". The Irish Times . 26 April 1973.
^ "Childers may go for the presidency". The Irish Times . 5 April 1973.
^ "Childers would expand the dimension of the presidency". The Irish Times . 7 April 1973.
^ "Colley made F.F. director for election". The Irish Times . 14 April 1973.
^ "Irish Presidential Elections [ad for Terry Rogers bookmakers]". The Irish Times . 27 April 1973.
^ "Presidential Elections 1938–2011" (PDF) . Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government . p. 28. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2018 .