Independents4Change is to be de-registered as an Irish political party, the Electoral Commission has said.
Gript understands this was done at their own request.
In a press release issued today by the Electoral Commission, the Registrar of Political Parties gave notice of his intention to approve a request from the party to cancel its registration.
“The Registrar of Political Parties has today given notice of his intention to approve a request from the Independents4Change party to cancel its registration in the Register of Political Parties,” the statement said.
“The Independents4Change party has been included on the Register since April 2014 when it was initially registered as Independents for Equality Movement. The party changed its name in 2015 to Independents4Change.”
“Subject to a period of 21 days for any possible appeal of this decision, the party will no longer be eligible to stand candidates in Ireland’s contest Dáil, European or local elections,” the Registrar continued.
Notably, if and when the cancellation of the registration of the Independents 4 Change party is confirmed (pending any appeal), there will then be 29 political parties registered in the State.
The statement concluded by noting that formal notification of the decision was published today in the official Irish State gazette, Iris Oifigiúil.
Independents4Change first registered as a political party in 2014, having previously been known as the Independents for Equality Movement. The group ran four candidates in the 2014 local elections in Wexford, though none were successful.
The party adopted its current name in September 2015 and saw significant success in the 2016 general election, where Mick Wallace, Clare Daly, Joan Collins, and Tommy Broughan were all elected as TDs. Within the 32nd Dáil, the party formed its own technical group alongside several other independent TDs.
While the party saw Clare Daly and Mick Wallace elected to the European Parliament in 2019, its representation in the Dáil diminished when Joan Collins left to found the Right to Change party in 2020. Neither Daly nor Wallace retained their seats in the 2024 European elections, and the party failed to return any TDs in the 2024 general election.
Currently, the party’s representation is limited to the local government level.
The list of currently registered Irish political parties is as follows:
– Fianna Fáil
– Fine Gael
– Sinn Féin
– The Labour Party
– People Before Profit-Solidarity
– The Social Democrats
– The Green Party
– Aontú
– Independent Ireland
– The Workers’ Party
– The Right To Change Party
– Ireland First
– 100% Redress
– The National Party
– The Irish Freedom Party
– The Irish People
– The Farmers’ Alliance
– Rabharta
– The Communist Party of Ireland
– The Kerry Independent Alliance
– Workers And Unemployed Action
– Éirigí For A New Republic
– Fís Nua
– Liberty Republic
– The Party for Animal Welfare
– The Centre Party of Ireland
– United People
– The Human Dignity Alliance
– Glór Voice of the People