Dessie Ellis (Dublin North-West, Sinn Fein)

The President of Ireland is largely a ceremonial position which acts as the representative of the Irish State both at home and abroad. The President holds some limited legislative powers and is one part of the checks and balances on the Legislature. Our current President has not been afraid to expand the role of the President and has been outspoken on a number of issues, most recently the genocide taking place in Gaza. This is entirely fitting for a person who has, throughout his life, been a strong advocate for those suffering human rights abuses, particularly in South America and Central America.

The Constitution says that the President shall be elected by direct vote of the people, although being a citizen does not necessarily guarantee a vote as the Constitution also restricts that right to those who can vote at an election for Members of Dáil Éireann. This effectively disenfranchises a whole cohort of citizens who, by accident of history and geography, reside in the North of Ireland. Yet, any one of these citizens, if they are over 35 years of age, can in theory become the President if so elected, as the Belfast native Mary McAleese was in 1997.

There are a number of practical issues that need to be sorted out, as well as a change to the Constitution. However, these are not complex issues, as some might suggest. All the major political parties in the South have supported the recommendation from the 2013 constitutional convention to extend votes to citizens living outside the State. There is a fear that a Sinn Féin-nominated candidate might get elected if voting rights were extended to those in the North of Ireland. If that is the position of some people in government, it is outrageous. What chance have we for a united Ireland if that attitude prevails? The President of Ireland should be elected by all Irish citizens on the island of Ireland, no matter where they reside, North or South.

See this speech in context