Diaspora Minister Jimmy Deenihan has announced that the Irish Government will decide on whether or not to hold a referendum on allowing Diaspora voting in Presidential elections before Christmas.
The Minister, who arrives in New York today for his first trip to the US in his new role, said he saw no reason why the vote couldn’t be extended to Seanad elections, given that graduates of Trinity College Dublin and the National University of Ireland around the world vote in those ballots.; and went as far as to suggest that the diaspora may be allowed to vote in future Dáil elections while acknowledging his perceived difficulties with the logistics of a diaspora Dáil vote. Mr Deenihan is looking at the French model where seats are reserved in parliament for nationals living abroad but he said a diaspora vote in the Dáil election was not being considered right now.
Irish in Britain will follow this closely as we have campaigned for the establishment of a Diaspora Minister and are actively campaigning for the end of disenfranchisement of Irish citizens and the extension of representation for the diaspora in the Oireachtas through our Diaspora Voice Campaign.
Read our Ten Point Plan on Diaspora Engagement here.
