Independent Ireland has this afternoon said that it has started the process of bringing a Bill before the Dáil calling for a referendum on reforming the Presidential nomination system.
The party said that recent events around this year’s presidential election highlighted what it called “an affront to democracy that can no longer be ignored.”
It comes after conservative campaigner Maria Steen conceded defeat in her race for the Áras, falling short of the nomination by just two signatures, having been backed by 18 Oireachtas members. Fellow Independent candidates Gareth Sheridan and Nick Delahanty dropped out of the race earlier this week, after failing to secure enough nominations. Only three candidates will be on the ballot next month. Barrister and campaigner Steen had continued talks late last night with junior ministers Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran and Noel Grealish, both Independent TDs, but to no avail.
It came as Independent TD Michael Lowry ruled out nominating Ms Steen, saying that while he agreed with many of her views, he had already committed to backing Heather Humphreys. Steen’s final nomination came this morning from Independent Senator Aubrey McCarthy, but it was not enough to get her over the line. In her concession speech at midday, Steen said that rarely has the political consensus in Ireland seemed “more oppressive or detached from the wishes or desires of the public.”
Three candidates nominated by parties via the Oireachtas route have been confirmed on the ballot – Catherine Connolly, Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin — making it the smallest field in a presidential election since 1990.
Independent Ireland Party Leader Michael Collins today criticised the political consensus, stating: “The current system is convoluted and places far too much power in the hands of too few people. While we recognise that not everybody who thinks they can be president should automatically appear on the ballot, the barriers are now set so high that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael can effectively issue diktats, stifle democracy, and deny the people their right to decide. We also need to return power to our democratically elected councillors in this process.”
Independent Ireland says its Bill will propose two key reforms. Firstly, around Oireachtas and MEP nominations.
“The current requirement of 20 Oireachtas members will be updated to reflect Ireland’s EU membership. Nominations will instead require the support of 20 members drawn from the combined pool of 160 TDs, 60 Senators, and 14 MEPs — a total of 234 elected representatives. This ensures that 20 votes would equate to 8.5 per cent of the total, broadening representation and reflecting Ireland’s role in Europe,” it said.
It secondly pointed to its plans for reform to Council nominations, stating: “In line with the same principle of proportionality (8.5 per cent), presidential hopefuls would be able to secure a nomination with the backing of 80 individual councillors from across the country. This would replace the outdated system that requires an entire council to act collectively, giving councillors the freedom to make their own democratic choice.”
The party confirmed that drafting work has already begun and the bill will be brought before the Dáil as soon as the legislative process allows.
“This is about trust in our democracy,” Michael Collins TD said. “The people of Ireland deserve the right to choose from a genuinely open field of candidates, not one curated and controlled by the establishment. That is why we are seeking this referendum.”
Speaking today, Maria Steen said that the response from the public in recent days “confirms the hunger that there is for an Independent candidate.”
“Sadly, that hunger will now go unsatisfied. Rarely has the political consensus seemed more oppressive or detached from the wishes or desires of the public,” Ms Steen said in her concession speech this afternoon. She said that she was grateful to the 18 Oireachtas members who backed her, who she described as “true parliamentarians.” Some, she said, gave her their signatures “because they wanted to support me and vote for me in the election,” while others did so “simply because they believed in democracy, and that the verdict on my candidacy should be rendered not by an elite clique, but by the people.”
Calls for a referendum were echoed this week by Independent Senator Sharon Keogan. The Meath politician, who had assisted independent candidates in seeking nominations from the local authorities said that the current process, where the only way for non-party candidates to seek a nomination was by gaining the support of 20 members of the Oireachtas or 4 local authorities, had proved to be a “waste of time, money and energy for Independent candidates.”
“We need a constitutional referendum to change the election process for president,” she said. “I propose the following: 1) 20 signatures from senators or TDs 2) 115 signatures from county councillors 3) 10,000 signatures from registered voters.
She said the “County Council route is too difficult for Independent candidates especially when the majority of councils have FF and FG as a majority.”