Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys has confirmed that she will not seek her party’s nomination for this year’s presidential election.
Ms Humphreys said: "I have been honoured by the number of people who have approached me and said I should run for the presidency.
"I have given it a lot of consideration and a lot of thought, and while it’s very flattering and it's a great honour to be considered for the highest office in the land, I’ve decided that I’ll not be running for the presidency.
"It’s for the same reasons that I left politics I want to spend more time with family and friends, and I want to do other things."
Frances Fitzgerald has also previously ruled out a run for Áras an Uachtaráin with former EU Commissioner and Vice President of the European Parliament Mairead McGuinness now emerging as a front-runner to get Fine Gael nomination.
Ms Humphreys, who served in several government ministries down through the years, has said she will support whoever emerges as her party's presidential candidate.
"I don't want to be speaking for anybody else, people that have to make up their own minds in the party, the membership of the party of what they want to do.
"I will be supporting the Fine Gael candidate. But, you know, I know Mairead well, and as I said, she will have my support."
Ms Humphreys added that she has been working full-time for 47 years and reiterated that she is now looking forward to having the time to do other things.
