Former taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Bertie Ahern and former Met Éireann meteorologist Joanna Donnelly have both confirmed they have withdrawn from the race to be the next Irish president.

Ahern had hoped to be the Fianna Fáil candidate but withdrew on Friday before nominations closed for the party’s candidate at 17:00 local time.

Ms Donnelly had announced on Tuesday she had written to all local authorities on Monday night to express her interest.

People in the Republic of Ireland are set to go to the polls on Friday 24 October to vote in the Irish presidential election.

Last week, Ahern did not rule himself out of the race to be Fianna Fáil’s candidate, despite the emergence of former Dublin gaelic football manager Jim Gavin who has been endorsed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

Ahern outlined his reasons for stepping back in an online message on Friday.

In the message, Ahern claimed current Micheál Martin is “anti-me” and spoke of the economy and the Mahon Tribunal.

Outlining his reasons for not continuing with a bid for the presidency, Ahern said: “I suppose [Micheál Martin] saw in his view that there was a candidate 20 years younger and somebody from outside the party.

“In all my time in Fianna Fáil, I’ve never seen a period where the leadership really lose out in these things.”

He also confirmed that he would not run as an independent candidate.

“As a former leader of the party, I respect Fianna Fáil and its legacy far too much to even consider that independent idea,” he said.

Joanna Donnelly also confirmed on Friday that she was dropping out of the race.

“While I still believe that I have the qualities that would make me a good Uachtarán na hÉireann (Irish president), I was naive to think I could meet the challenges of the campaign,” she said in a post on Instagram.

“Therefore, at this stage, I’ve decided it’s best to withdraw my request for nominations.”

After announcing her intention to run on Tuesday she said she had not been approached by any political party to contest the election.

However, Ms Donnelly said that since then she has been speaking with people with “vastly more experience in this type of campaign”.

“I’ve come to see just how wholly unprepared I am,” she added.

With the close of nominations just three weeks away, contenders have begun to enter the political fray.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly first launched her bid for the presidency in July, garnering enough support from left-leaning parties to be on the ballot.

Former Irish cabinet minister Heather Humphreys was confirmed to be the Fine Gael candidate earlier this week, after the party’s original candidate Mairead McGuinness withdrew due to health reasons.

Séan Kelly backed out of the Fine Gael selection process after not getting enough support.

The Republic’s largest party, Fianna Fáil, have yet to formally decide a candidate, with Jim Gavin and TD Billy Kelleher in the running.

Sinn Féin has not confirmed whether it will run a candidate or back someone else, but speaking to the BBC in August, Mary Lou McDonald said her party would make an announcement this month.

There are also a number of independent candidates who are hoping to seek the support of the local authorities, including Irish entrepreneur Gareth Sheridan.

The president of Ireland acts as the head of state.

It is a largely ceremonial role, representing Ireland at public events at the national and international level.

Only citizens residing in the Irish Republic have the right to vote in presidential elections.

To run for the office, you have to be an Irish citizen and aged over 35.

Candidates also need the backing of either 20 members of the Oireachtas (Irish houses of parliament) or four of the 31 local authorities.

Michael D Higgins was inaugurated as the ninth president in 2011 and was re-elected in October 2018.

He is not eligible to stand again as he will have completed two full seven-year terms.

Higgins succeeded Mary McAleese, who has been the only president from Northern Ireland.