Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has welcomed the recommendation by the Constitutional Convention to extend the right to vote for the Irish President to Irish to passport holders in the North and those living abroad.
Martin McGuinness and Irish President Michael D Higgins.
Mr McGuinness was one of three Sinn Féin at Constitutional Convention which voted in favour of the expansion. The final decision now lies with the Irish Government.
Mr McGuinness said the Constitutional Convention had taken a significant step forward in its recognition of the equal rights of all Irish citizens. He said y doing so, it had also made a constructive contribution to the peace process.
He added: ”The issue of voting rights in presidential elections for citizens living in the North and those living abroad is an important one for all democrats, but particularly for citizens in the North.
“This was a a significant plank in my campaign when contesting the last Presidential election. The right to vote was hard fought for here in our own lifetime. It is a fundamental human right. The fact that Irish citizens living North of the border cannot vote for the President of Ireland is another anomaly of partition, but it is also a form of discrimination against citizens of this state.
“President Michael D Higgins and before him, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, spoke and acted as presidents for all on this island. This is how they are regarded by people in the North too. It is imperative the Government act on the recommendations of the Convention to allow the people of the North and those who have left our shores to vote in presidential elections.
“As I said during the Convention deliberations, Sinn Féin isn’t just looking for votes for republicans or nationalists in the North. Unionists also deserve the opportunity, if they wish to exercise it, to elect the President.”
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