‘Ireland growing closer to reunification by the day’

Waterford Councillors have unanimously supported a motion which calls on government to extend voting rights in presidential elections to all Irish citizens on the island of Ireland.

Currently, the Constitution only allows citizens residing in the State the right to vote in presidential elections.

Introducing the motion to the Council Chamber during last week's Plenary Meeting, Independent Councillor Joe O’Riordan said that “communities in the north of this island have learned to live together in harmony and for the most part mutual respect and a genuine desire to forge a better future for their children".

 “Ireland is growing closer to reunification by the day" he added, "and the work of the cross border agencies have helped to create a great cohesion between the two parts of our island.

“With this in mind I come calling on this council to support this motion and support all our Irish brothers and sisters on this island, but particularly those in the six counties, for the right to vote in presidential elections. They deserve and are fully entitled to this right.

"They are as Irish as any of us and protected by the Good Friday Agreement. They deserve the opportunity to vote for their president."

In seconding the motion, Independent Councillor Donal Barry said that he believed it is something that could be “rectified fairly easily by Government.”

"It is interesting that someone from the six counties can stand in the presidential election but somebody in the six counties is unable to vote," he added.

Also supporting the call, Sinn Féin Councillor Donnchadh Mulcahy, who was born and raised in county Tyrone, said that people living in Northern Ireland “hold Irish passports but when it comes to electing the head of state they are locked out.” 

The motion was passed unanimously.