O’Neill urges for Irish citizens in north to have vote in presential elections

By Rebecca Black, PA

Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill has urged the Taoiseach to “rectify an anomaly” by allowing Irish citizens in Northern Ireland to vote in presidential elections.

It comes after the Northern Ireland Assembly voted last month to back extending the right to vote in elections for president of Ireland to all Irish citizens on the island of Ireland.

The motion, proposed by Sinn Féin MLAs, was passed by 46 votes to 25.

It comes just months ahead of the next Irish presidential election due to take place later this year following the end of Michael D Higgins’ term.

Ms O’Neill was asked by Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney during Executive Office questions on Tuesday for the assessment of the motion by the office she shares with deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.

Ms O’Neill replied: “There is no agreed position on this issue.”

Mr Kearney went on to ask whether Ms O’Neill agreed that the extension of voting rights in Irish presidential elections for Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland “should be taken forward as a matter of priority by this Irish government”.

Ms O’Neill said that was her personal view on the issue, adding that she has written to Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

“I think the outcome of that debate and the vote that was put in this Assembly chamber certainly was decisive in terms of the support of the elected members of this chamber in terms of voting in the presidential election,” she said.

“This is obviously my personal view on this, but I actually took the time then to actually write to the Taoiseach to inform them of the fact that this was something that was endorsed here in this Assembly chamber, and I think that it’s time for the Irish government to certainly correct what has been a deficit in terms of our democratic right to vote in this election.

“And I think that we encourage, and continue to encourage, that the Taoiseach moves to rectify what is an anomaly in terms of our citizens in the north – the fact that you can stand for election in the north, but you can’t vote in that election.

“I don’t think that’s a tenable or credible argument.

“It is 12 years beyond the constitutional convention that was held when participants at that convention overwhelmingly endorsed the extension of this franchise, and now the majority view in this house is that this is something that needs to be endorsed in terms of the extension to citizens who live here in the north.”