Leitrim county councillors will decide on Monday whether to nominate Maria Steen to contest the presidential election following presentations from 13 prospective candidates today.
Three Leitrim councillors - Fianna Fáil councillors Mary Bohan and Justin Warnock along with Independent Councillor Irene Guckian Rabbitte - have proposed that Maria Steen receive a nomination.
The three councillors submitted motions this afternoon to back Maria Steen ahead of Monday's meeting.
No other motions were submitted in support of any of the other candidates who addressed today's council meeting.
Marie Steen, who addressed the meeting online, told councillors that "a large sway of the population feels unrepresented".
She said a nomination was not an endorsement, but an acknowledgement that "people deserve a broader choice than is available at present".
A barrister, architect and conservative campaigner, Maria Steen also addressed part of the meeting in Irish and detailed her campaign work in previous referenda.
A mother of five children, she said if elected, that she would hope to be a unifying president and that the role of the family would be central to her presidency.
Other candidates who addressed the meeting of Leitrim County Council incuded Abbas Ali O'Shea, Gearóid Duffy, Aidan Harrington, Charlie Keddy, Shauna Kerr, Searlait Ní Chianáin and Keith McGroary while Lorna McCormack, Sarah Louise Mulligan, Diarmaid Mulcahy, Gerben Uunk and Dr Cora Stack addressed the meeting online.
There are 18 councillors on Leitrim County Council consisting of six Fianna Fáil councillors, four Sinn Féin councillors, three Fine Gael councillors and five Independents.
