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In a surprising turn of events, a key leading hopefuls in Ireland's election for president has quit the campaign, dramatically altering the election dynamics.

Sudden Exit Reconfigures Election Dynamics

The party's Jim Gavin stepped down on Sunday night following disclosures about an unpaid debt to a previous occupant, transforming the contest into an volatile direct competition between a moderate right past cabinet member and an autonomous progressive parliamentarian.

The 54-year-old Gavin, a inexperienced candidate who entered the race after careers in athletics, flying and armed forces, withdrew after it was revealed he had neglected to refund a rent overpayment of €3,300 when he was a lessor about 16 years ago, during a period of economic hardship.

"It was my fault that was contrary to who I am and the expectations I hold. I am now taking steps to address the matter," he declared. "After careful consideration, about the potential impact of the ongoing campaign on the health of my relatives and acquaintances.

"Taking all these considerations onboard, My decision is to step down from the race for the presidency with immediate effect and rejoin my loved ones."

Race Narrowed to Leading Candidates

The most dramatic event in a political contest in recent history narrowed the contest to Heather Humphreys, a former cabinet minister who is running for the ruling centre-right party Fine Gael, and another candidate, an vocal advocate for Palestine who is endorsed by Sinn Féin and left-leaning minor parties.

Challenge for Party Head

Gavin's exit also created turmoil for the prime minister and party head, the party chief, who had staked his authority by choosing an untried candidate over the doubts of party colleagues.

The leader stated Gavin did not want to "create turmoil" to the office of president and was justified in leaving. "He acknowledged that he made an error in relation to an matter that has arisen in recent days."

Political Difficulties

Despite a reputation for capability and achievements in enterprise and sports – under his leadership Dublin's Gaelic football team to five consecutive championship victories – his election effort faltered through missteps that put him at a disadvantage in an survey even ahead of the debt news.

Party members who had been against choosing the candidate said the situation was a "major error in judgment" that would have "ramifications" – a barely concealed caution to Martin.

Voting System

His name may stay on the voting paper in the vote scheduled for October 24, which will conclude the lengthy term of Michael D Higgins, but people must choose between a dichotomy between a mainstream moderate hopeful and an autonomous progressive. Opinion research conducted ahead of Gavin's exit gave 32 percent backing for Connolly and Humphreys 23%, with the former candidate at 15 percent.

Under electoral rules, voters select candidates in order of preference. If no candidate exceeds half the votes initially, the candidate with the least initial choices is eliminated and their ballots are redistributed to the next preference.

Likely Support Redistribution

It was expected that in the event of his exclusion, a majority of his ballots would shift to the other candidate, and the other way around, enhancing the possibility that a pro-government candidate would attain the presidency for the governing partnership.

Function of the President

This office is a largely symbolic post but Higgins and his predecessors made it a venue for worldwide concerns.

Final Contenders

The 68-year-old Connolly, from Galway, would introduce a robust progressive perspective to that tradition. She has assailed free-market policies and remarked the group represents "a fundamental element" of the people of Palestine. She has accused the alliance of warmongering and compared the country's raised military budget to the 1930s, when Adolf Hitler rearmed the country.

Humphreys, 62, has faced scrutiny over her time in office in cabinets that oversaw a accommodation problem. As a Protestant from the county Monaghan near the border, she has also been faulted for her lack of Irish language skills but stated her faith tradition could assist in gaining Northern Ireland's unionists in a combined country.