Presidential Voting 'Must Be Extended' Say SF

Sinn Fein has urged that all the people of the island of Ireland be allowed to vote in the Irish Presidential elections.

Sinn Fein MLA Barry McElduff has called for the extension of voting rights. He was joined by an MLA from each other county in Northern Ireland to call for this right.

Mr McElduff said: "The upcoming Irish Presidential election has once again thrust into the spotlight the denial of the right to vote for Irish citizens living in the North of Ireland."

The issue has of course been brought more sharply into focus since the Stormont Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness entered the race.

Mr McGuiness will step down from his duties in Belfast to allow him to run for the election to temporarily hand over his position to the party's Education Minister, John O'Dowd.

Both the current President, Mary McAleese and Martin McGuinness have been faced with the situation that they can be nominated and stand for the position of Irish President and indeed, if successful, to represent Ireland on the international stage, yet they cannot vote in the elections - being from Northern Ireland.

"Fine Gael made a manifesto commitment in the last election to allow Irish citizens to vote in Presidential elections in embassies around the world and we want this extended to include the north. I am calling on them now to enact this pledge," said Mr McElduff.

Mr McElduff concluded that: "An amendment to the constitution is all that is required to allow the citizens of Ireland to vote for the President of Ireland.

"It is a right that must be forthcoming if not for this election, due to the tight time frame, but most certainly for the next."

(LB/BMcC)