MICHAEL D Higgins is still on course to come out on top in the Presidential Election, according to the latest poll.

Incumbent Higgins has is maintaining his substantial lead over his rivals in the latest opinion polls.

Higgins is looking likely to take home more than two-thirds of the vote when people mark their ballot papers this Friday.

A Sunday Times/Behaviour & Attitudes poll has Higgins on 69 per cent – 58 points ahead of his nearest rival Sean Gallagher.

Gallagher, who came second to Higgins in the 2011 Presidential Election, is looking most likely to finish as the runner-up after obtaining 11 per cent in the latest poll.

Sinn Fein candidate Liadh Ni Riada is on 7 per cent, one point ahead of Pieta House founder Joan Freeman on 6 per cent.

The two remaining Dragons, Gavin Duffy and Peter Casey are on 4 per cent and 2 per cent respectively.

The poll was conducted before Casey’s controversial comments about members of the Travelling community, and so will not reflect any changes in his support which may occur as a result of those remarks.

The poll was conducted from 5 October to 16 October in a series of face-to-face interviews with 930 voters.

The poll has a 3.3% margin of error.

Meanwhile, Casey has told Leo Varadkar to ‘shut his trap’ over the Taoiseach’s comments on the Presidential Election.

Casey, who has been subject to backlash following his remarks regarding Travellers, suspended his campaign for the weekend to consider whether to continue with a formal announcement expected on Monday.

The Dragons Den star has since slammed Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for chiming in on the Presidential election.

Varadkar had urged voters to send Casey “a very clear message” at the ballot box while in Brussels for the crucial EU summit.

A fuming Casey said on Galway Bay FM: “I’m going to take the weekend off and reflect on my position.

“I think Leo Varadkar is a total disgrace. For him to interfere in the presidential process. It’s absolutely out of order for him to interject himself into the presidential campaign.”