Electing the Irish president should be the democratic right of all our citizens

» Declan Kearney

It is undeniable that the global Irish diaspora has played a crucial role by promoting the political, economic and cultural interests of the Irish nation in every corner of the world

In early May, I brought a motion to the regional Assembly in the north of Ireland urging all members, regardless of different political outlooks, to call upon the Irish government to fulfil its responsibility and finally extend the right to vote in Irish presidential elections for the hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens living in the northern state.

I pointed out that it is long past time for the Irish government to correct this democratic deficit and set the date for a constitutional referendum on allowing Irish citizens in the six counties to have a vote in presidential elections. 

I told the members that by speaking with one voice, the northern Assembly could powerfully affirm the principles of parity of esteem, mutual respect & equality enshrined within our peace settlement, the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). 

The motion was overwhelmingly passed by the Assembly in spite of churlish opposition from some unionist members. This landmark vote by the Assembly has helped to bring a renewed focus to the rights of Irish citizens living outside the 26 counties. 

Central to the GFA is a recognition of every citizens’ birth right in the north to identify as Irish, British or both if they so choose, and to be accepted as such. 

It was also agreed then that the Irish government would amend article 2 of the Irish constitution granting the right to full Irish citizenship. 

As a result, the duty of the Irish government has been clearly established in the Irish Constitution under Article 2. This underpins the birth right of everyone born on the island of Ireland to be part of the Irish nation. 

The right for us who are Irish in the north, to identify as Irish citizens is equally recognised under the terms of the GFA itself.

Twelve years have passed since the 2013 Constitutional Convention in Dublin when participants voted overwhelmingly (in fact, by a margin of 78%), to support extending the franchise to Irish citizens living in the north, and also to those living abroad. 

That democratic position has been further endorsed by all the main parties in the southern state, including government parties.

Due to a lack of progress on the proposal to hold a referendum, Sinn Féin brought legislation to Dáil Éireann in 2014 on extending presidential voting rights. 

In 2017 the Irish government agreed to a referendum to amend Article 12 of the Irish Constitution to meet its obligation, but no progress has been made on that commitment. 

Notably the Programme for Government of 2020 contained a pledge to extend presidential voting rights to Irish citizens in the north and beyond. Yet nothing was done.

Then, in another backward step, the current coalition government failed to prioritise extension of the franchise in presidential elections within the Programme for Government, published earlier this year. 

This is a regressive omission and constitutes a further denial of clearly defined and recognised rights for Irish citizens. It runs counter to the popular democratic will, and the wishes of Irish citizens in the north and across the global Irish diaspora.

So here we are in 2025, with a presidential election on the horizon and despite years of promises and commitments from Dublin governments, and we are no further forward.

The indifference of successive Irish governments towards this clearly established right is inexplicable, and it is unacceptable.

Irish citizens in the north of Ireland and those living abroad are still disenfranchised from participation in the democratic process to elect Uachtarán na hÉireann — the Irish head of state. 

This sits in marked contrast to welcome progress in the provision of other rights and equality measures across the Irish state.

Consider for example in 2015, when Ireland legalised equal marriage through a referendum following recommendations from the Irish Constitutional Convention. 

The Constitutional Convention of 2013 endorsed a position that Irish passport holders, regardless of their residency, should be eligible to vote.

This includes up to 3.2 million Irish passport holders living in countries across North America, South America, Australia, Asia, Africa and other distant places, where Irish people have gone to work and, in many cases, have settled to live, and raise families.

Such a proposed extension of the franchise is not at all outlandish; in fact, the opposite is true.

Ireland is actually an international outlier by not providing voting rights outside the state. 

Twenty-three European member states have already extended the franchise to their citizens living abroad. Approximately 120 countries have provisions in place to allow their emigrants to participate in their national elections, and countries such as Mexico, Italy and Croatia, with a similar large global diaspora to ours, have extensive voting rights for their citizens living outside their respective states. 

The late Irish Senator, Billy Lawless, himself an emigrant to the United States, pointed out that Irish electoral arrangements are both restrictive and outdated. He asserted that the requirement for Irish citizens to be physically domiciled in the southern Irish state in order to vote, is a form of geographical gerrymandering. 

Indeed, the Irish government has been criticised by the European Commission for disenfranchising its citizens that live in other member states, stating that “such disenfranchisement practices can negatively affect EU free movement rights.” 

So, there is no excuse for any further delays. It is long past time for the Irish government to catch up with other modern democracies and extend the franchise in presidential elections.

In the aftermath of the Stormont Assembly vote, the Tánaiste once again spoke positively about resolving this democratic deficit; but he needs to match his words with actions.

Sinn Féin recognises that presidential voting rights is a touchstone issue for many within our Irish diaspora. While the Constitutional Convention recommended extending the franchise to Irish passport holders, others make a plausible argument that the franchise could be extended even further to include the 70 million worldwide who claim Irish ancestry. 

It is undeniable that the global Irish diaspora has played a crucial role by promoting the political, economic and cultural interests of the Irish nation in every corner of the world.

It has established Ireland’s position and international reputation on the world stage through sport, arts, politics and business. Ireland enjoys an unrivalled international respect, largely achieved by generations of diasporic ambassadors. 

The corridors of political power in cities all over the world are populated with the descendants of Irish emigrants from previous generations who have contributed to the development of the peaceful, modern, progressive Ireland we enjoy today. 

It’s a fact that the modern Irish peace process would not have been delivered without the influence and contribution of Irish-American political, business, trade union and other civic leaders. Conor O'Clery famously observed how Irish America successfully ‘greened the White House’ in the early 1990s. They and their successors have remained steadfast in their support for the Good Friday Agreement since 1998. 

Now as the potential for Irish unity moves increasingly centre stage, the role of Irish America will become once more indispensable to shaping the constitutional future of the island; as has been the case historically throughout the 20th century. The Fenian Brotherhood, Clann na Gael, John Devoy, Joe Mc Garrity, Seán Cronin, and so many others all come to mind.

Generations of Irish emigrants have also played critical roles during past and more recent traumatic periods of our history, such as the 1980/81 hunger strikes, and economic recession. 

In the midst of the economic recession following the financial crisis of 2008, the Irish government reached out to business leaders in our global diaspora from almost 40 countries to assist Ireland through that emergency. 

As a result of the same financial crisis, tens of thousands of our young people emigrated from Ireland to live and work all over the world. Then when the epoch-making referenda on marriage equality and on repeal of the 8th Amendment were announced, many of those same young people organised themselves abroad and came home and used their votes to help in modernising Irish society by guaranteeing equal marriage and women’s reproductive health rights.

Ireland’s cultural outreach and influence is epitomised by the organisational footprint of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael (GAA). Today approximately 437 GAA clubs are organised in 50 countries with a total of 826 teams playing football, hurling, camogie and handball. One of the most recent being the formation of a Gaelic Athletic Club in the West Bank, Palestine.

So the impact of Irish emigrants in every generation in continuing to shape modern Ireland and how we as a nation are viewed and respected throughout the world is both undeniable and immeasurable.

Although the role of the Irish President is largely ceremonial, it has come to symbolise and resonate Ireland’s global standing. Therefore, extension of the vote to those in our wider diaspora who wish to participate in presidential elections merits consideration in recognition of what they have achieved by contributing to the reputation and profile which our small country enjoys internationally.

The office of the President of Ireland has come to be synonymous with this universal regard.

Recent international developments have shown that the Irish president can have immense political, diplomatic and moral significance in the context of international relations. 

In a world which has shamefully remained largely silent during the ongoing apocalyptic genocide in Gaza, the current Irish president has shown courageous leadership in his appeal to world leaders to break their silence and to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. 

The incumbent Uachtarán na hÉireann has been an exemplar in how he has used his office to make a true difference, as a strong advocate for the primacy of international law, multilateralism, peace and justice.

Irish citizens living in the north of Ireland and throughout our global diaspora are integral to the Irish nation. Those of us living in Ireland today owe a great debt to our diaspora who historically, and in more modern times, have never forgotten or abandoned their Irish heritage. Their rights as Irish citizens deserve to be recognised and indemnified in meaningful and practical terms.

So this Irish government should act now. It should catch up on the rest of the world and respect the rights of all Irish citizens. It should follow through on the popular mandate expressed in 2013, and supported in successive opinion polls. There is no excuse for continued prevarication or delay. 

The rights of Irish citizens in the north and those living abroad to vote in Irish presidential elections must be delivered upon.