‘Inordinate’ by-election delay breached senator’s rights, rules High Court

THE 16-month delay in holding a by-election for the Donegal South West constituency was “so inordinate” that it amounted to a breach of a Sinn Féin senator’s constitutional rights.

High Court president Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns yesterday granted Senator Pearse Doherty a declaration there has been an unreasonable delay in moving the writ for the by-election caused by the election of Pat the Cope Gallagher to the European parliament in June of last year.

Sen Doherty claimed this was an infringement of his constitutional rights because the three-seat constituency had been left without one of its three TDs