Sir, – Minister for Local Government Darragh O’Brien’s request of the Electoral Commission to research the possibility of “scrapping byelections” is one to be viewed with deep concern (“Scrapping byelections and lowering voting age could be studied by Electoral Commission”, News, August 9th). Such a proposal, if pursued, could have severe consequences for our democratic system.
Byelections stand as a cornerstone of any functioning democracy, providing citizens with a mechanism to voice their opinions and hold elected representatives to account between general elections. The current practice of having no byelections for vacancies as they arise on councils and in the European Parliament already represents a widening chasm in the democratic deficit of government. The Minister’s request to investigate eliminating byelections for the Dáil appears to undermine the very essence of democratic governance, where the public’s ability to express their concerns through the election process is of paramount importance.
Byelections act as a check on the power of ruling parties by allowing the electorate to reassess their support in light of changing circumstances or policy decisions. Without the ability to partake in byelections, constituents would be left with no recourse to express dissatisfaction with their representatives and hold them accountable for their actions.
Surely it would be unthinkable for a party to be able to hold onto a seat automatically through an alternate list system if the outgoing TD was embroiled in corruption or a breach of conduct. With our political culture of coalition politics, arithmetic matters in the Dáil, and a byelection may be the only means for the public to put to an end a floundering government. – Yours, etc,
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DECLAN MEEHAN,
Rathmullan,
Co Donegal.