The former Sinn Féin TD resigned from the party in recent weeks and his announcement to run as an independent will cause a headache for the party, who only has one elected representative in the area – Mr Stanley’s wife, Cllr Caroline Dwane-Stanley.
However, she is not expected to run in the general election for the party.
Mr Stanley said in a statement to Laois media that he was encouraged by “countless people” to run as an Independent.
He said people who have resigned from Sinn Féin will help him campaign.
“Having been out around the county over the past three weeks, I have been encouraged by countless people, from various backgrounds, to put my name forward as an Independent and who have pledged their support,” he said.
“I have also received commitments of assistance with campaigning from people in all areas, including those who have resigned from Sinn Féin.”
Mr Stanley said there has been an attempt by a “micro group” with an “agenda” to damage his reputation.
“In the recent past, there has been a sustained attempt by a micro group, with their own agenda, to carry out a campaign of character assassination against me and damage my reputation.
“I am prepared to stand on my record of work of over four decades of political activism and let the good people of Laois judge for themselves whether I should represent them in the 34th Dáil”.”
The Laois-Offaly TD said he will be running on republican policies and work to improve public services.
“I will be standing on a platform of progressive republican policies and if elected will be working to, improve public services, protect workers and families and address the housing crisis,” he said.
“To the best of my ability, I will use the experience gained over 12 years as a councillor and almost 14 years as a TD, to represent the interests of the people of Laois in the Dáil. I pledge 100pc commitment to serving their interests and to campaigning for a fairer society.
“My priorities for Laois will continue to include: New schemes of affordable homes to purchase and rent, along with social housing. Effective rent controls to stop runaway rents in the private rental market,” he said.
Mr Stanley resigned from Sinn Féin earlier this month after a complaint was made against him by a female constituent.
He accused the party of holding a “kangaroo court” against him while investigating the complaint, a claim strongly rejected by the party.
Reacting to Mr Stanley’s “kangaroo court” comment at the time, Mary Lou McDonald said the internal inquiry was a “fair process” and that the party stood over the process “absolutely”. Sinn Féin appointed a three-person inquiry panel overseen by a barrister to investigate the complaint against Mr Stanley.
An internal disciplinary inquiry made a draft finding of sexual harassment that amounted to gross misconduct against the long-standing Laois TD.
Three days after Mr Stanley’s resignation, Ms McDonald described the woman’s complaint against the TD as “very serious” and said that it “relates to Deputy Stanley’s personal behaviour, leaving the complainant, in her words, ‘traumatised and distressed’”.
However, the TD has refuted and rejected the claim and made his own counter allegation. Both of these were referred by Sinn Féin to the Gardaí in a scandal which rocked the party.
In recent weeks following his resignation, Sinn Féin signage has been removed from the TD’s constituency office.
