Citizens to be selected to constitution convention

More than 60 citizens will be selected at random over the coming weeks to take part in a forum to decide on changes needed to the modernise the Constitution.

The Government yesterday agreed the Constitutional Convention would be established this month, and a chairman appointed.

It will have 100 members, including 33 politicians selected from the Northern Assembly and the Oireachtas, taken from parties on a pro-rata basis.

A further 66 people will be selected from the electoral register, made up of a gender, age, and regional balance.

This will require an amendment to the electoral register, but a Government spokesperson said this was unlikely to cause any delays.

A polling company will be appointed to select the citizens. They will not get paid for participation, but will receive expenses for attending meetings.

The Government does not intend to appoint representatives from civil society organisations or people with specific legal or academic expertise.

The convention will involve a major public debate on the Constitution. A decision on whether or not the meetings will be held in public will be made by the Government in consultation with the chairman.

A spokesperson said: “It is the intention of the Government that its deliberations and outcomes will be transparent.”

The first issues to be looked at will be the reduction of the term of the presidency from seven to five years and the reduction of voting age from 18 to 17.

Other issues likely to be looked at over time include:

* Making provisions for same-sex marriage;

* Holding presidential elections in tandem with local and European elections;

* Giving citizens abroad the right to vote;

* Amending the clause on women in the home and encouraging more participation by women in public life;

* Removing blasphemy from the Constitution.