Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has said Independent candidate Maria Steen "has the best chance of giving a choice to the electorate in terms of the Presidential Election".
Mr Tóibín said people are being excluded from the ballot, and said "the idea that Fine Gael would dictate to their councillors to vote against anybody getting onto the ballot is absolutely wrong".
Mr Tóibín said that "Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil think that they own the Áras. They feel that they're entitled to the Presidency".
He urged any non-aligned TDs to be brave and to use their independence and nominate Ms Steen for the presidency.
"We would urge the remaining independents, TDs and Senators not to get stressed around this decision," Mr Tóibín said.
At the moment, Ms Steen has the support of ten Oireachtas members, eight of whom have signed nomination papers.
Any person wishing to run for president requires the support of 20 members of the Oireachtas, or four local authorities.
Local authorities are meeting in the coming weeks to decide whether they'll support independent candidates.
Aontú is holding its pre-Dáíl think-in in Maynooth, where the theme of treating children equally is leading discussions.
Mr Tóibín said he and Mayo TD for Aontú Paul Lawless along with Senator Sarah O’Reilly, would continue to hold the Government to account.
"On the issue of CHI, that is an issue that we have been fighting around for the whole summer. We’ve had the shocking death of Harvey Sherrat during the summer, and we stated very clearly that at our next opportunity … we would hold a motion of no confidence in Simon Harris in the Dáil," he said.
Mr Tóibín said that was important, "because there cannot be a disconnect between the responsibilities that TDs and Senators have and the results that citizens experience," adding that services were continually being denied.
