Motion to change presidential selection process is approved

DEBATE erupted at a recent county council meeting over a motion to amend the nomination process for the presidential election.

Cllr Fergal Browne proposed a motion to separate the dates for the Oireachtas nomination and councils’ nominations and, secondly, to allow individual councillors to nominate candidates, rather than local councils voting to back candidates.

“It was a fiasco the last time that we only had two candidates at the end. We assumed we’d have five at one stage,” explained cllr Browne.

Cllr Willie Patton commended cllr Browne for bringing forward the motion: “I wholeheartedly agree with him that we need to move away from council votes and rather, if 100 deem a candidate is worthy to nominate as the president of Ireland, that should be accepted in the same way that the elected members of Dáil Éireann are accepted,” he said.

Similarly, cllr Charlie Murphy said that he would support the motion due to his frustration with a voting bloc in the last nomination procedure. “I think seven of us tried to broaden the scope of the last election. We were actually stopped in our tracks.

“And then when it came to the actual presidential election, 250,000 people voted against the system. Remember that now. That’s a quarter of a million people. Never heard tell of before in this country ... I would say that’s time to take note for the main political parties.” “Sixteen percent spoiled vote is absolutely phenomenal,” agreed cathaoirleach Ken Murnane, but he added: “You can’t just blame Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Sinn Féin did it and People Before Profit did, asking members to support no candidate other than their own.” Cllr Adrienne Wallace said she agreed with the sentiment of the motion but noted that she believed it would go to a citizens’ assembly and become an issue for a referendum.

Once the motion was passed, cllr Browne clarified that the motion would be referred on to the relevant department for adjudication and that every county council in the country would be asked to support it.