Donegal South West by-election, 2010
Encyclopedia
A by-election
was held on 25 November 2010 in the Donegal South–West constituency in Ireland
, following the election of the Fianna Fáil
Teachta Dála
(TD) Pat the Cope Gallagher to the European Parliament
at the June 2009 election
. Most voters cast their ballot on 25 November 2010; 754 voters on offshore islands (Arranmore
, Tory
, Inishbofin, Gola
, and Inishfree) were entitled to cast their ballots on 22 November. The government through a vote in the parliament decides when by-elections are called. With a rather tenuous majority in the parliament, the government had delayed in calling this by-election. While there is no specific legal requirement on when to hold a by-election in Ireland
, they are generally held within six months of a vacancy occurring. The 17 month gap between the seat becoming vacant and the writ being moved is the longest in the history of the state.
Sinn Féin
senator Pearse Doherty
was elected on the fourth count.
On 12 July 2010, the High Court granted leave to Sinn Féin
senator Pearse Doherty
for a judicial review into why the by-election was not being held. On 2 November 2010, the High Court ruled that there was an unreasonable delay in holding the by-election. In his ruling High Court President, Justice Nicholas Kearns
described the delay as unprecedented and that the delay amounted to a breach of Doherty's constitutional rights. He declared that Section 30 (2) of the Electoral Act 1992 should be construed as requiring that a writ for a by-election be moved within a reasonable time of the vacancy arising. He further stated that:
However, Justice Kearns did not order the Government to set a date for the by-election. The Government announced on 4 November 2010 that the by-election would be held on 25 November. They also stated that they would appeal
to the Supreme Court.
An opinion poll the week before polling gave Pearse Doherty 40% of the first preference vote, with Fianna Fáil
's Brian O'Domhnaill with 19%.
On 22 November, Taoiseach Brian Cowen
announced his intention to call a general election in early 2011, once the budget had been passed. Candidate Anne Sweeney unofficially withdrew on the 23 November and advised voters to boycott the by-election
, describing it as "a complete farce" given the likelihood of a proximate general election.
noted that support for the three left leaning candidates, Pearse Doherty
, Thomas Pringle
and Frank McBrearty, added up to 60% of the poll. Doherty said that vote was a rejection of the interference of the IMF in Irish affairs and said he would be voting against the 2011 Budget on 7 December. After negotiations with the left wing Independent TDs Finian McGrath
and Maureen O'Sullivan
, a Technical Group
was formed in the Dáil to give its members more speaking time. The Fianna Fáil vote dropped from 50% at the 2007 general election to 21% at the by-election. The government majority in the Dáil was reduced to two. The by-election served as a preview to the general election the following year which resulted in a meltdown for the ruling Fianna Fáil
party.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was held on 25 November 2010 in the Donegal South–West constituency in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, following the election of the Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) Pat the Cope Gallagher to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
at the June 2009 election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Ireland)
The 2009 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 2009 European Parliament election and was held on Friday, 5 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections...
. Most voters cast their ballot on 25 November 2010; 754 voters on offshore islands (Arranmore
Arranmore
Árainn Mhór is the largest inhabited island of County Donegal, and the second largest in all of Ireland, with a population of 528 in 2006, down from 543 in 2002, and over 600 in 1996. The island is part of the Donegal Gaeltacht...
, Tory
Tory Island
Toraigh is an inhabited island 14.5 km off the northwest coast of County Donegal, Ireland. It is also known in Irish as Oileán Thoraigh, Oileán Thoraí or Oileán Thúr Rí.-Language:The main spoken language on the island is Irish, but English is also understood...
, Inishbofin, Gola
Gola Island
Gola is a small island off the coast of Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland.Gola island is one kilometre off the coast of Gweedore. Its many beaches and secluded bays attract visitors throughout the year. The island was populated up until the mid 1960s...
, and Inishfree) were entitled to cast their ballots on 22 November. The government through a vote in the parliament decides when by-elections are called. With a rather tenuous majority in the parliament, the government had delayed in calling this by-election. While there is no specific legal requirement on when to hold a by-election in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, they are generally held within six months of a vacancy occurring. The 17 month gap between the seat becoming vacant and the writ being moved is the longest in the history of the state.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
senator Pearse Doherty
Pearse Doherty
Pearse Doherty is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He serves as a Teachta Dála for the Donegal South West constituency and as Sinn Féin's Dáil spokesperson on Finance. Doherty formerly served on Donegal County Council from 2004–07 and in Seanad Éireann from 2007–10.-Background and education:Doherty...
was elected on the fourth count.
Legal challenge
Due to the delay in the Government holding the by-election, a number of attempts to force the by-election were carried out by the Opposition. On 4 May 2010, Sinn Féin attempted to force the holding of the by-election. The next day the Government narrowly avoided a defeat in the motion calling for the by-election to be held immediately when two of their TDs accidentally voted with the opposition.On 12 July 2010, the High Court granted leave to Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
senator Pearse Doherty
Pearse Doherty
Pearse Doherty is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He serves as a Teachta Dála for the Donegal South West constituency and as Sinn Féin's Dáil spokesperson on Finance. Doherty formerly served on Donegal County Council from 2004–07 and in Seanad Éireann from 2007–10.-Background and education:Doherty...
for a judicial review into why the by-election was not being held. On 2 November 2010, the High Court ruled that there was an unreasonable delay in holding the by-election. In his ruling High Court President, Justice Nicholas Kearns
Nicholas Kearns
Nicholas Kearns is the President of the High Court of Ireland, and ex-officio member of the Supreme Court. He was appointed a judge of the High Court in 1998 and was appointed to the Supreme Court in November 2004. He is the most senior Irish judge after Chief Justice Susan Denham. He was...
described the delay as unprecedented and that the delay amounted to a breach of Doherty's constitutional rights. He declared that Section 30 (2) of the Electoral Act 1992 should be construed as requiring that a writ for a by-election be moved within a reasonable time of the vacancy arising. He further stated that:
However, Justice Kearns did not order the Government to set a date for the by-election. The Government announced on 4 November 2010 that the by-election would be held on 25 November. They also stated that they would appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
to the Supreme Court.
Campaign
The election campaign took place during an unprecedented crisis in state finances:- record falls in bond marketBond marketThe bond market is a financial market where participants can issue new debt, known as the primary market, or buy and sell debt securities, known as the Secondary market, usually in the form of bonds. The primary goal of the bond market is to provide a mechanism for long term funding of public and...
rates for Irish Government debt. - a fact-finding visit by European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Olli RehnOlli RehnOlli Ilmari Rehn is a Finnish politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs. He had previously served as Commissioner for Enlargement...
to review the government budgetary plans. - a joint team from the International Monetary FundInternational Monetary FundThe International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
(IMF), the European CommissionEuropean CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
and the European Central BankEuropean Central BankThe European Central Bank is the institution of the European Union that administers the monetary policy of the 17 EU Eurozone member states. It is thus one of the world's most important central banks. The bank was established by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1998, and is headquartered in Frankfurt,...
arrived to begin discussions about international loan assistance for the state and the banks. - the Government put the finishing touches to the 2011 budget, expected to impose a set of stringent cuts as part of a four-year plan to reduce the government deficit from 13% of GDP to 3%.
An opinion poll the week before polling gave Pearse Doherty 40% of the first preference vote, with Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
's Brian O'Domhnaill with 19%.
On 22 November, Taoiseach Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
announced his intention to call a general election in early 2011, once the budget had been passed. Candidate Anne Sweeney unofficially withdrew on the 23 November and advised voters to boycott the by-election
Election boycott
An election boycott is the boycotting of an election by a group of voters, each of whom abstains from voting.Boycotting may be used as a form of political protest where voters feel that electoral fraud is likely, or that the electoral system is biased against its candidates, or that the polity...
, describing it as "a complete farce" given the likelihood of a proximate general election.
Result
Aftermath
CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
noted that support for the three left leaning candidates, Pearse Doherty
Pearse Doherty
Pearse Doherty is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He serves as a Teachta Dála for the Donegal South West constituency and as Sinn Féin's Dáil spokesperson on Finance. Doherty formerly served on Donegal County Council from 2004–07 and in Seanad Éireann from 2007–10.-Background and education:Doherty...
, Thomas Pringle
Thomas Pringle (Irish politician)
Thomas Pringle is an Irish left wing independent politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Donegal South West constituency at the 2011 general election, unseating the incumbent Tánaiste Mary Coughlan. He was previously a member of Donegal County Council having been elected as an...
and Frank McBrearty, added up to 60% of the poll. Doherty said that vote was a rejection of the interference of the IMF in Irish affairs and said he would be voting against the 2011 Budget on 7 December. After negotiations with the left wing Independent TDs Finian McGrath
Finian McGrath
Finian McGrath is an Irish independent politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North Central constituency since 2002.-Early and personal life:...
and Maureen O'Sullivan
Maureen O'Sullivan (politician)
Maureen O'Sullivan is an Irish independent politician. She has been a Teachta Dála for the Dublin Central constituency since June 2009. She was first elected to Dáil Éireann on the 6 June 2009 in a by-election.-Early life:...
, a Technical Group
Technical Group
In Irish politics, a technical group is a parliamentary group of Teachtaí Dála who associate to increase their speaking rights in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas.-Origin and policy:...
was formed in the Dáil to give its members more speaking time. The Fianna Fáil vote dropped from 50% at the 2007 general election to 21% at the by-election. The government majority in the Dáil was reduced to two. The by-election served as a preview to the general election the following year which resulted in a meltdown for the ruling Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
party.
See also
- List of Irish by-elections
- Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of IrelandParliamentary constituencies in the Republic of IrelandThe lower house of the Oireachtas , Dáil Éireann, contains 166 Teachtaí Dála , representing 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland. Depending on its size, each constituency must have at least 3 members and a maximum of five members. The most recent ratio indicates that...