Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill today. At the outset, I commend Deputy Catherine Murphy on her work on the Bill and for bringing it before the House.

I want to address the issue of the candidate nomination process and voter eligibility. Everyone would agree that the nomination process as currently configured is completely inappropriate. The debacle surrounding the process in the recent presidential campaign, particularly in Senator Norris's candidature, highlighted this issue. It needs to be altered to ensure real participative democracy. The situation whereby only a select group of elected representatives can nominate a candidate for the presidency seems to be in direct contrast to what the role of the presidency is support to be. The role is meant to be inclusive to represent all of the people, yet the selection process is exclusive. The selection process is undemocratic and surely must change.

On the same issue, we should seriously look at the age restriction for being eligible to be a candidate. If there were an upper age limit, people would be justifiably outraged, yet there is a lower limit that is almost twice the legal age of majority. For 17 years after one's eighteenth birthday a person can hope to play a full role in society in the eyes of the State and to be held fully accountable in the eyes of the law but is refused even the slightest option of seeking the highest office. The threshold should be lowered.

Separately, on the issue of voter eligibility, it is vitally important that we extend the franchise to all Irish citizens. It is the birthright of all those born on the island of Ireland, wherever they might currently reside. Someone born in Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone is no different from someone born in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway or any country in the South. Similarly, the thousands forced to emigrate, and now living in Boston, Brisbane or Manchester, are no different or no less Irish than those living in Mallow, Midleton or Youghal. The Constitution and the founding documents, the Proclamation and the Democratic Programme, speak of the Irish nation and all of its people. This includes all 32 counties.

Sinn Féin is not the only party raising this issue. It is being raised by political parties in the North as well as the likes of One Voice, One Vote campaign. Representatives of that non-political group were in Leinster House a number of weeks ago during the presidential campaign when a Sinn Féin motion on presidential voting rights was debated in the Seanad. There is a consensus among nationalist parties in the North that Irish citizens should have the right to vote. This goes to the heart of the issues that were resolved in the Good Friday Agreement. That Agreement spoke about people in the North having the right to be part of the Irish nation. It defined citizenship and how people would have the right to be Irish, British or both. Sinn Féin supports this.

The notion of voting rights for Irish citizens in the North should not be seen as a threat to anyone. On the contrary, it will act to enhance the democratic process and the Good Friday Agreement. It will vindicate the Constitution and the pledge of office. Most importantly, it will uphold the rights of citizens and ensure we go further than paying lip-service to the notion that citizens in the North are part of the Irish nation. It is one matter to have it in State documents but it is entirely different when those same citizens are denied the right to vote for their President.

Likewise, the Irish all over the world should have a chance to vote for their President. At present, we are filling planes and boats with our young people. Many have left with no option but to emigrate in search of employment. They, too, should be afforded the opportunity to vote. Many other countries already have for many years legislated for such a scenario and acted upon it. We should do the same.

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