Presidential vote for emigrants

Irish emigrants living abroad may be allowed to vote during future presidential elections under plans being considered by the Government.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore confirmed yesterday that voting rights for the diaspora would be debated in the upcoming constitutional convention.

Campaigners have been calling for some time for voting rights to be granted to the Irish overseas.

But any measure agreed would only entitle them to vote in elections for presidents and not in general or local elections, Mr Gilmore said.

Speaking on a special edition of Morning Ireland online with Áine Lawlor, the foreign affairs minister said it was a complex issue, especially with an estimated 70m people with Irish links living abroad. Two million alone lived in Britain, he said.

Those abroad could easily outnumber the electorate living in Ireland.

“To what extent do you have representation without taxation, that is a big issue... I think we have to find some way of giving recognition to the Irish abroad and in particular to recent emigrants,” Mr Gilmore said.

The Tánaiste said the option was agreed when the programme for government was drawn up and the convention will report back to the Government on the possibility of allowing the diaspora vote.

Practical measures such as where the Irish overseas would actually vote needed to be examined too as not every country had an Irish embassy, said Mr Gilmore.