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With an unexpected announcement, a key main hopefuls in Ireland's election for president has quit the campaign, upending the election dynamics.

Withdrawal Announcement Reconfigures Election Dynamics

The party's Jim Gavin withdrew on Sunday night following revelations about an unpaid debt to a previous occupant, turning the contest into an volatile direct competition between a center-right ex-minister and an independent leftwing parliamentarian.

The 54-year-old Gavin, a inexperienced candidate who joined the race after professional experiences in sports, airline industry and defense, withdrew after it came to light he had failed to return a excess rental payment of €3,300 when he was a property owner about a decade and a half ago, during a period of financial difficulty.

"I made a mistake that was not in keeping with my values and the standards I set myself. I am currently resolving the issue," he stated. "I have also thought long and hard, about the potential impact of the continuing election battle on the welfare of my family and friends.

"Taking all these considerations onboard, My decision is to step down from the race for the presidency with right away and go back to my family."

Contest Reduced to Leading Candidates

The most dramatic event in a election race in recent history reduced the field to Heather Humphreys, a former cabinet minister who is running for the governing moderate right political party Fine Gael, and another candidate, an vocal supporter of Palestinian rights who is supported by a political party and small leftwing opposition parties.

Challenge for Party Head

The withdrawal also created turmoil for the taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader, the party chief, who had risked his standing by choosing an unproven contender over the skepticism of party colleagues.

He commented Gavin did not want to "cause dispute" to the presidential role and was right to withdraw. "Jim has accepted that he made an error in relation to an issue that has emerged recently."

Political Difficulties

Despite a reputation for competence and success in business and sport – he guided the Dublin football squad to five straight titles – his political bid struggled through missteps that left him trailing in an opinion poll even ahead of the debt news.

Fianna Fáil figures who had been against choosing Gavin said the situation was a "serious miscalculation" that would have "repercussions" – a implied threat to Martin.

Ballot Process

Gavin's name may still appear for selection in the poll taking place in late October, which will finish the long service of the current president, but voters now face a two options between a centrist establishment candidate and an independent leftwinger. A poll taken before the withdrawal gave Connolly 32% support and Humphreys 23%, with 15 percent supporting Gavin.

As per election guidelines, the electorate chooses contenders based on preference. If no candidate exceeds a majority in round one, the contender receiving the lowest primary selections is eliminated and their support is passed to the subsequent choice.

Possible Ballot Shifts

It was expected that if Gavin was eliminated, the bulk of his support would transfer to Humphreys, and the other way around, boosting the chance that a establishment hopeful would secure the presidency for the governing partnership.

Presidential Duties

The role of president is a mostly representative role but Higgins and his predecessors transformed it into a platform on global issues.

Final Contenders

Connolly, 68, from Galway, would bring a strong leftwing voice to that tradition. She has assailed neoliberal economics and remarked the group represents "a fundamental element" of the people of Palestine. She has charged the alliance of warmongering and likened Berlin's enhanced defense expenditure to the pre-war era, when the Nazi leader built up military forces.

Humphreys, 62, has been subjected to review over her time in office in governments that presided over a property shortage. A Presbyterian from the northern county, she has also been questioned about her lack of Irish language skills but stated her Protestant heritage could help win over loyalists in the North in a reunified nation.