According to Simon Coveney, ex-Foreign Affairs Minister, certain high-ranking politicians avoid considering extending voting rights in presidential elections to Irish diaspora and residents of Northern Ireland. This hesitation stems from a concern that it might result in the election of a Sinn Féin president.
Addressing the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross, County Wexford, Coveney strongly advocated for broadening the electorate, indicating that around 3 million Irish individuals living abroad, including in Northern Ireland, would receive the opportunity to vote in presidential elections favourably.
Coveney observed that many senior political figures dread that introducing an open vote would lead to a Sinn Féin presidency, allowing for a shift in power balance. Their lack of enthusiasm, he added, seemed rooted in partisan self-interest; an approach he labelled as misguided.
“Don’t avoid change and potential risk,” the ex-minister asserted, emphasising the inevitability of these elements when widening the voter base.
Drawing a line between Northern Irish residents and other international Irish emigrants, he said, “Numerous Irish people in Northern Ireland identify themselves as Irish, akin to me, and perceive themselves as having an equal stake in the future of Ireland.”
He firmly believes that they ought to partake in selecting Ireland’s head of state. Coveney, a Fine Gael TD for Cork South Central, announced that he would be retiring from national politics once the Dáil adjourned prior to the upcoming general elections.
/”All major political groups within the Dáil have now officially endorsed the extension of the voting rights in presidential elections, a measure that also enjoys the backing of a Citizens’ Assembly, albeit potentially with certain provisions attached.
Should such an extension be approved in a referendum, it would give the right to vote in presidential elections exclusively to those amongst Northern Ireland’s 1.9 million residents identifying as Irish, as well as an approximately equivalent number of Irish passport-possessing residents located elsewhere in the world.
“The critical point is not about if we effect this change, but how we should best execute it. There exist very legitimate issues surrounding voter register eligibility, which are worthy of discussion. However, the core tenet of this change has already garnered the support of numerous ministers,” stated Mr Coveney. The erstwhile minister espoused his desire for inclusion of Northern Unionists in presidential electoral processes: “I long to hear a Unionist perspective. I am an advocate for unification across this isle. However, I also firmly believe that British identity within this isle should be a point of conversation, in order to embrace the worries, the cultural practices, and the diverging historical viewpoints held within Unionist communities.”
Mr Coveney, speaking at the Kennedy Summer School – an event ongoing in New Ross since 2012 – continued by pointing out that allowing the future representative of the island – be they from the North or South – to be chosen by the collective populace, is the best method to achieve this.
Mr Coveney also clarified that his endorsement for the right to vote for emigrants is strictly limited to presidential elections and should not extend to Dáil, local or European elections, or to referendums – except for specific cases where individuals continue to appear on the State’s voting register.
To dispel fears that some 70 million people with links to Ireland might have voting rights, Mr Coveney confirmed that giving the voting rights to qualified emigrants or passport bearers would not result in “an army of individuals casting their votes in a presidential election who aren’t actually residing within Ireland’s borders.”
In granting these voting rights to eligible emigrants – or passport holders – Mr Coveney explained that it would be instrumental in “weaving together the world-wide definition of Irishness”, adding that such a relationship ought to be reciprocal.”/