Controversial Mixed Martial Art star, Conor McGregor has announced his decision to withdraw his candidacy for the country’s presidential election.
Conor added that his “commitment to Ireland does not end here”.
Irish presidential election, scheduled for October 24, will decide the successor to Michael Higgins, who has held the office since 2011.
He was convicted last November in a civil rape case and has also been sued in the US federal civil court by a woman accusing him of sexually assaulting her in Miami in June 2023.
“Following careful reflection, and after consulting with my family, I am withdrawing my candidacy from this presidential race,” McGregor wrote on X.
In a lengthy message, he criticised Ireland’s electoral law, which requires the endorsement of 20 members of parliament or four local government authorities to validate a candidacy.
He denounced a “democratic deficit against the will of the Irish people”, particularly the “‘forgotten Irish’ who feel abandoned and ignored by Establishment woke politics”.
“There is now a very visible and vocal movement of Irish Patriots reverting to our cultural and historical origins seeking to maintain and protect our way of life as Irish,” he said, adding “this tide cannot be held back”.