Donegal TD Thomas Pringle has called for a postponement to the Children’s Referendum to be held this Saturday.
It comes after the Supreme Court today found the government’s referendum website to be ‘not fair, equal or impartial’.
The Supreme Court’s decision upheld a challenge against the government’s informational website and booklet on the Children’s Referendum.
It found the government had “acted wrongfully” in spending money on a website which was deemed to “be not fair, equal or impartial.”
His call comes as many voters on Donegal’s islands have already cast their ballot.
The Donegal South West Deputy said “I am calling on this government to postpone the referendum in the interests of democracy and fairness.
“While I am advocating a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum, this government is bound by the McKenna Principles, which they have breached by spending public money to promote one side of the referendum campaign.
“Both sides have an inherent right to be heard equally and by breaking these principles this government has given the Yes side an unfair advantage.
The Donegal politician said he also noted that while this case was given priority in the Supreme Court given that this referendum is to take place this Saturday, the Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil today rejected the technical group’s Whip’s call for a Private Notice Question on the matter, as it was not deemed to be urgent.
“I strongly believe that this matter is urgent as one side has clearly been given an unfair advantage over the other, as ruled by the Supreme Court, and I call on this government to postpone this referendum until this matter has been properly rectified.”
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