McGuinness to run for Irish presidency.

Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness is to run for president of the Republic of Ireland next month as part of what he called a bid to bring about Irish reunification by peaceful means.


The candidature of 61-year-old McGuinness for the October 27 election is expected to be rubber-stamped by the executive council of his Sinn Fein party on Sunday.


McGuinness, who admits being a commander of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) paramilitary group during the three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, would be the first candidate from the hardline Catholic socialist party to run for the Irish presidency.


The bid will be seen by many north and south of the border in Ireland as an audacious move.


McGuinness was branded the mastermind of the IRA during the decades of sectarian bombings and shootings in Northern Ireland but later became a champion of the peace process in the province, which remains part of the United Kingdom.