INDEPENDENT SENATOR David Norris has written to councillors around the country asking them to nominate him as a presidential candidate.

Mr Norris, who has been a Dublin University Senator since 1987, will seek to emulate Dana Rosemary Scallon when she received enough support in 1997 from local authorities to allow her to run as a candidate.

Under the Constitution, every candidate for the presidential election must be nominated by either 20 members of the Oireachtas or by four local authorities.

Two councillors in each local authority are initially required to propose and then second the candidate and three days’ notice must be given to councillors before a vote. Each local authority is only allowed to nominate one person.

In his letter to councillors Mr Norris said as an Independent without the support of a political party he was seeking support from across the political spectrum.

“Although I recognise the limits of the office of president, I believe there is an historic opportunity at the moment in supporting my nomination as a candidate,” he said.

“At this time, we need a head of State that will showcase Ireland to the world as a modern, sophisticated and inclusive society.”

He said he would welcome an opportunity to meet councillors and discuss any issues they might have.

A spokeswoman for Mr Norris, who was on holiday yesterday, said he was hoping to engage with councillors and had already been encouraged by the support he had received. She also said nomination through local authorities was “not the only avenue” the Senator hoped to pursue.

Mr Norris could be facing competition for local authority nomination from another Independent; at the weekend, Ms Scallon said she had not ruled out contesting the election.

But, according to a Red C Poll, produced for Paddy Power, Mr Norris is the outright favourite to become next president of Ireland, with 27 per cent of the vote in a poll of more than 1,000. Those who voted for him were from across the political spectrum apart from Fianna Fáil.

In second place, with 13 per cent of the vote, was Fine Gael MEP Maireád McGuinness, with former taoiseach Bertie Ahern at 12 per cent. Fianna Fáil MEP Brian Crowley got 10 per cent as did Labour Party deputy Michael D Higgins and chief executive of Barnardos Fergus Finlay.