PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION | MLAs CALL FOR RIGHT TO VOTE FOR ALL IRISH CITIZENS

Votes for the Six

SIX Sinn Féin MLAs wearing county jerseys representing each of the Six Counties and holding their Irish passports made a call for Irish citizens in the North to be given the right to vote for the President of Ireland.
Sinn Féin also wants the vote to be given to the Irish Diaspora.
Tyrone MLA Barry McElduff took Fine Gael to task over its unfulfilled pre-election pledge:
“Fine Gael made a manifesto commitment in the last election to allow Irish citizens to vote in Presidential elections in embassies around the world and we want this extended to include the North. I am calling on them now to enact this pledge.”
Speaking at the Assembly Buildings, Barry said:
“The upcoming Irish Presidential has once again brought into the spotlight the denial of the right to vote for Irish citizens living in the North of Ireland. It has been more sharply in focus since Martin McGuinness has entered the race.
“Both Mary McAleese and Martin McGuinness have been faced with the situation that they can be nominated and stand for the position of Uachtarán na hÉireann (and when successful represent Ireland on the international stage) yet they cannot vote in these elections.”
He pointed out that the Good Friday Agreement enshrines the rights of the people in the North to hold Irish citizenship but they are not entitled to vote “to choose our President”. The Dublin Government is perpetuating that discrimination, he said.
“An amendment to the Constitution is all that is required to allow the citizens of Ireland to vote for the President of Ireland.
“It is a right that must be forthcoming if not for this Presidential election, due to the tight time frame, but most certainly for the next.”