Taoiseach Time(An Irish Election Thread)

[Troublexassassin]

I cant vote in the republics elections (Sinn Fein would be my closest match more than likely but i cant stand them up here in the auto clicker North so probably wouldnt vote for them down south either, i guess maybe PBP since ive voted for them a few times here in NI, but ive went off of them too over brexit) but ill be watching it with great interest, i wonder if the recent debacle about commemorating the RIC will have any impact on Fine Gael in this election as a lot of people seemed rightfully pretty pissed.

Would be a shame to see Simon Coveney go if FG loses, i think he isn't that bad and has performed well regarding brexit.

Wait, didn't the good Friday agreement allow people in the north to gain Irish citizenship?

It did allow us to hold irish citizenship and to identify as irish alongside british if we wish to, and i do have Irish citizenship, but i dont live in the republic and there are not voting stations where i live (belfast) for elections in the republic.

[Bananaistan]

Wait, didn't the good Friday agreement allow people in the north to gain Irish citizenship?

It did allow us to hold irish citizenship and to identify as irish alongside british if we wish to, and i do have Irish citizenship, but i dont live in the republic and there are not voting stations where i live (belfast) for elections in the republic.

I'm reasonably certain that people in the north were entitled to Irish citizenship prior to the GFA, although the situation was somewhat ambiguous for people born between independence and the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, which explicitly made clear the right of everyone born on the island to Irish citizenship. IIRC the GFA provisions on Irish citizenship was effectively merely the UK recognising this.

Edit: Also, IIRC only those who are resident in the state are entitled to vote, so no polling stations in Belfast while all the emigrants who flew home to vote in the marriage equality and abortion referendums were not technically entitled to vote.

Another interesting facet. If I move to anywhere in the UK, as an Irish citizen, I can immediately register to vote. Any British citizen moving to this state, can immediately register to vote in all elections bar presidential elections and constitutional referendums. These are technically reciprocal provisions of law: citizens of either country can vote in all elections up to general elections, just that in the UK there are no elections/referendums above general elections.