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Sinn Fein calls for Presidential votes for Northern Irish and Diaspora

Extension seen as natural outworking of the Good Friday agreement

By
CATHY HAYES,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Thursday, August 11, 2011, 5:19 AM
Updated Thursday, August 11, 2011, 5:19 AM

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Ogra Shinn Fein protest lack of voting rights in the North and abroad outside Leinster House
Ogra Shinn Fein protest lack of voting rights in the North and abroad outside Leinster House
Photo by Ogra Shinn Fein


The Sinn Fein party has called for voting rights in the presidential election for Irish citizens in Northern Ireland and those living abroad. Seán Crowe, Sinn Féin's education spokesman, said the Irish president represents the Diaspora and the vote should be extended to Irish citizens worldwide.

The party will introduce a Private Member’s motion in the Dail (Parliament) when session resume in the fall.

On Wednesday members of the group Ogra Shinn Fein wore the jerseys of counties Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone while protesting outside Leinster House. They also wore gags covering their mouths in protest of the lack of voting rights for those Irish citizens living in the North.

Ógra Fhianna Fáil and  SDLP’s youth section have also given backing to the proposed motion.

Crowe told the Irish Times that an extension of voting rights was “a natural outworking of the Good Friday agreement, which enshrines the rights of people in the North to Irish citizenship”.

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The party has called for the matter to be brought to referendum before the 2018 presidential election. However Crowe believes that a referendum could be held before the election in October. He said that if the legislation was passed quickly the vote could be extended for Northern Irish citizens and the Irish Diaspora.

He added that there was “nothing outrageous about our demand” and called on candidates in the presidential election to share their views on the vote.

He said implementing the vote extension should be part of the political reforms along with the changes made in the criteria for presidential candidate nominations. Crowe said that the difficulty for candidates to get the backing of four local authorities or 20 TDs and senators have been demonstrated during the run up to this election.

Sinn Fein will decide in September whether to put in its own candidate, to support an independent or not to get involved.

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14 Comments

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Kilsally | Aug 14, 2011, 05:48 PM EDT
Sorry Gearoid and Liam but the President may well be from the North but she cannot represent the whole island for the simple fact that only those in the Republic voted for her. People in NI have the right of citizenship but they do not pay taxes or vote in the Republics elections - we elect MP`s to Westminster, MLA`s to the Northern Irish Assembly and MEP`s to the European Parliament. You cannot have two heads of State and the Good Friday Agreement determines that NI is part of the UK until otherwise voted for by the people of NI.

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Searlit | Aug 12, 2011, 01:04 PM EDT
It doesn't seem quite right, while NI is still under the control of England.

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Towngate | Aug 11, 2011, 12:31 PM EDT
Its a 'bit rich' of SF to blather on about this subject when they can't even decide on their own Candidate or even who else they might support! ~ Mickey-Mouse Men! ( and a few Minnie's too!)

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cillowen | Aug 11, 2011, 11:03 AM EDT
so democratic so obvious - would excite 70 million than stuck in place homebodies.

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oldboreen | Aug 11, 2011, 11:03 AM EDT
Trealach. Am intrigued by your arbitrary figure of seven years! How do you arrive at that figure? Would you care to explain more fully to we of the Diaspora holding Irish citizenship, who would dearly love to live in Ireland, but cannot afford to? If I understand your logic- and I'm trying to- you seem to be in favour of two levels of citizenship! Either we're citizens, or we're not!

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ancavker | Aug 11, 2011, 10:26 AM EDT
Although the Irish economy is a mess right now, stating that the north even has an economy is an absolute joke. It is a massive welfare state that produces almost nothing.

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Gearoid4 | Aug 11, 2011, 10:13 AM EDT
Well, Kilsally, the Good Friday Agreement, a binding international treaty on both the Republic of Ireland and the UK, unambiguously entitles the citizens of the six N.E counties, currently known as "northern ireland" to claim either Irish or UK citizenship. In that light, the ethnically Irish citizenry of that jurisdiction should have the right to vote for the candidate of their choice for the presidency of Ireland. It should be as simple as that.

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themurphia | Aug 11, 2011, 09:51 AM EDT
aplogies...again.. for typos below...!

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themurphia | Aug 11, 2011, 09:50 AM EDT
Can you smell the fear? It will be panic once the issue of untying the 'knot of history' gets debated on the Floor of the Mother of Parliaments...I eXpect it to be overwhelmingly carried by yje people of England who are sick to the back teeth od propping up the mosr expensive piece of Real Estate in the world...!What a good idea these e-petitions were...!

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Trealach | Aug 11, 2011, 09:45 AM EDT
The Irish President has absolutely no Constitutional authority or responsibility over Northern Ireland or it's citizens. That is exclusively the responsibility of the Crown, which was endorsed in the Good Friday Agreement UNTIL the people of the Island of Ireland decide otherwise. The fact that the President was born and lived in Northern Ireland, does not establish any 'right' to be President. Her right to be elected was established by the fact that she is, and has been for many years, a Citizen of the Republic, by virtue of living here. Irish citizens living abroad and who form that portion of the Diaspora, should be given the right to vote - but for a limited period, not exceeding 7 years after leaving the country.

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joycean | Aug 11, 2011, 09:28 AM EDT
Anyone born in Northern Ireland has the right to claim Irish citizenship, as do many people living outside Ireland. Certainly the president should represent them.

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Liam3494 | Aug 11, 2011, 09:27 AM EDT
@Kilsally - You are wrong as the President of Ireland represents the whole of Ireland. Our present President is from the North of the country - That has never changed. So I do agree that those in the 6 counties should have the right of choice. I don't agree with the diaspora as a whole getting voting rights though, as this would be unmanageable. Having said that, as an Irish citizen who is presently working abroad, and actually getting paid by the Irish Government for doing so (not a diplomat though), I cannot vote in the elections at home while out of the country, and am therefore disenfranchised - That needs to be changed to allow for postal votes for citizens/residents, as happens for most other democratic countries (incl., the US and UK!).

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Kilsally | Aug 11, 2011, 08:39 AM EDT
it`s not workable - the President represents the Republic of Ireland a competing economy to Northern Ireland`s. Neither is it an outworking of the Good Friday Agreement - which was split into strands. The Republic changed it`s constitutional claim to Northern Ireland instead agreeing that Northern Ireland will determine its own future. Northern Ireland already has a head of State. The head of State if being elected should be elected by voters of the State. Ex-pats and Northern Irish do not vote in the Republics elections or live in the Republic so why should they get to vote on the President of the Republic of Ireland?

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themurphia | Aug 11, 2011, 06:31 AM EDT
What's taken them so long...?

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