Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

I welcome this debate on expanding the geographical area covered by the presidential election and amending the requirements to run for President to make it easier to do so.

To start with the issue of the diaspora, we know the constitutional convention was not limited to the Northern Irish state but also dealt with the diaspora around the world. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, our Irish citizens in Northern Ireland are in another jurisdiction, so they would have to be treated as the diaspora for the purposes of any election. We could not just go into Northern Ireland and start setting up polling stations. I do not think the British Government would facilitate that. We would have to set up a copper-fastened, ring-fenced voting system through postal votes, with some form of identification in one envelope and the ballot in a second envelope. The mechanisms need to be worked out but I absolutely believe it can and should be done. We have so many citizens around the world who want to have their input and the presidential election is an ideal opportunity for them to do so, as it would be for the Irish citizens in Northern Ireland. I would add that if we get to have a constitutional referendum on that issue, it should include Seanad reform providing that Senators be directly elected by the diaspora. We have not grasped that bull by the horns for some time.

On the wider issue, as per the motion today, we need to make it easier for someone to run for the Presidency. Obviously the voters of Ireland said a couple of years back - I think it was 2015 - that they do not believe a person under the age of 35 should be able to run for President. That needs to be revisited in any referendum that we put to the people, as would another constitutional recommendation about lowering the voting age to 16, maybe starting off with presidential elections.

I wholeheartedly support the proposal that 100 or 110 members of local authorities should be able to nominate someone to run for President, as should a lower number of Oireachtas Members - 14 is a good suggestion. I am someone who tried to facilitate someone in that process. Regardless of whether I would vote for the person, we need to make it easier. Obviously, there has to be a threshold. There are some nefarious individuals whom I do not think should be let run a sweet shop, let alone be President, but ultimately the voters have to decide, and there needs to be a threshold.

I note that People Before Profit has suggested 35,000 signatures. I am not caught up on signatures. It could be 100,000 or it could be less, but we need to work out the mechanisms of how we validate that. Would it be with PPS numbers and people having to publicly declare that they want a person to run so that there is absolute transparency? I definitely think there should be a direct democracy input as well so that the general public can nominate people directly.

I also believe that in terms of local authorities, three is a better number than four, which is the situation as it stands. To be honest, one local authority should be able to make a nomination for whatever reasons, on the basis of a majority vote or a two thirds majority vote. It makes a lot of sense.

In the remaining minute, I want to talk about the broader issue and address why we need to have more variety. Obviously, we have had different presidential elections over the years - I am not referencing any one presidential election - but in some cases there have been claims that the number of candidates running limits the voice of the people and the ability to have their voice heard. Even if it is for a candidate who may not ultimately get across the threshold, they want that person to be able to articulate their vision of what Ireland should be, conveyed through the Presidency. They are absolutely right. Future turnouts will show, as they did in the past, what the level of interest is in the Presidency and what the level of spoiled votes will be. It would be educational if we were to have this debate again one week from now.

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