SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster Patsy McGlone has called for a referendum for citizens in Northern Ireland to have the right to vote in the upcoming Irish Presidential Election. Mr McGlone said that the legislation being drawn up by the Irish Government would extend the franchise to the North, providing citizens with their democratic right to vote for the Irish Head of State.
Mr McGlone said, “This is a much welcome step and I look forward to it as a Nationalist who has an Irish passport and is an Irish Citizen.
“This should not be seen as an attempt to undermine the right of unionists on this island to identify themselves as British. It is simply aimed at providing people in the North of Ireland with the democratic right to vote for the President of Ireland alongside citizens in the rest of the country.
“No one will be forced to take part, it is about giving a vote to those who want it.”
ENDS
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