All you need to know about registering as a candidate in the General Election

As the application deadline to run for a seat in Dáil Éireann draws near, here is what you need to know about who can run as a candidate while there's still time to register.

To run for Dáil Éireann you must be a citizen of Ireland and over the age of twenty one.

In order to run as a candidate for a political party, you must go through the party's selection procedure.

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If you want to run as an independent candidate, you must present a nomination paper to the returning officer in the constituency where you wish to stand.

You can nominate yourself and can also run in more than one constituency. It is not essential to live in or own property in the constituency where you intend to run.

It is also important that the returning officer is given a Certificate of Party Affiliation or statutory declarations signed by thirty constituents or a deposit of €500 by the candidate.

A candidate cannot be both a member of the Dáil and a member of a local authority, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) or hold another senior position in an institution of the European Union.

It is also not permitted to be simultaneously a member of the Dáil and a member of An Garda Síochána nor is it permitted to be a TD and full-time member of the Defence Forces.

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You cannot be a civil servant unless your respective contract specifically allows it and you also cannot hold the position of President, a Senator, the Comptroller and Auditor General or a judge while being a Dáil member.

Your nomination paper must be submitted by 12 noon on the seventh day after the Clerk of the Dáil has issued a writ (a written document containing a legal order) directing that an election be held.

For the 2024 general election, the deadline is 12 noon on Saturday November 16, 2024. Candidates may withdraw their nominations up to 12 noon on Monday November 18, 2024.