Some politicians in the Republic “shy away” from extending the Presidential vote to emigrants and people living in Northern Ireland in case it leads to a Sinn Féin President, this according to former Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.
Speaking at the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross, County Wexford, Mr. Coveney said he is in favor of extending the vote for the presidential poll.
“I think it’s important to be honest,” he said.
“I think there are a lot of senior politicians who shy away from this decision because of political reasons, who think that if we open this vote up, then we’re going to have a Sinn Féin president.
“[They fear] that it’s going to skew the balance. And, so, they are not enthusiastic about this because of self-interest in terms of party political interests and so on. I think that is the wrong way to look at it.”
Coveney added: “Like any election, if you’re going to expand the numbers of people who can vote, then, obviously, potential change and risk comes with that. But, ultimately, that’s not a reason not to do it.”
Focusing on people living in Northern Ireland, he said: “There’s a special situation where many Irish people in Northern Ireland see themselves as Irish as I am. They have the same stake in their own minds in the future of Ireland as we have.
“And in my view [they] should be part of choosing Ireland’s first citizen.”
Speaking last year Mr. Coveney said that the Covid pandemic had set dates for other planned referenda back. One referendum that was planned before the coronavirus outbreak was for people living in Northern Ireland and the Irish diaspora around the world to vote in future Irish presidential elections.
“The question is how rather than whether we should do this,” he told the audience.
“There are very valid questions around qualification criteria to be on the voter register, and we can talk about, but the principle of this has been committed to by multiple ministers.”
