Voting Rights Should Be Extended To All Citizens - SF

Voting rights should be extended to all Irish citizens, at home and abroad, Sinn Féin TD for Sligo/North Leitrim Michael Colreavy has said.

Deputy Colreavy made the call in the Dáil: "Sinn Féin firmly believes in the core republican principle of equal citizenship and we therefore support the right of Irish citizens living in the North and abroad to vote, and we campaigned on the issue for many years.

"We unequivocally support the right of all Irish citizens of voting age to vote for the Irish President, regardless of their place of residence.

"Furthermore, we believe that that Irish citizens living outside this State should have the right to appropriate representation in the Dáil by way of reserved constituency, with voting rights subject to a valid passport and regular registration requirement, and also be entitled to representation in a reformed Seanad also.

"The Good Friday Agreement states that this Government recognises the right of all people born in the North to identify as Irish citizens if they want.

"We should not be treating them as second-class Irish citizens but as full Irish citizens with full voting rights.

"There is a huge demand among Irish citizens to amend Bunreacht na hÉireann to give Irish citizens in North and abroad the right the vote.

"The Government needs to face up to these democratic demands and that of the Constitutional Convention and this report to end this disenfranchisement."

(MH)