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Irish Constitutional Amendment Referendums, 2011
Two Irish Constitutional Amendment Referendums were voted on in Ireland on October 27, 2011.
The first amendment was approved, the second was defeated.
The first referendum sought to reduce the pay of judges. The measure was designed to amend the Irish Constitution to provide that salaries of judges would be subject to the same cuts as other public sector workers. At the time most current judges had taken a pay cut; however, the government did not officially have the power to reduce their pay.[1] The pay of the judges would only be cut if it is in the public's interest. This meant that judges would also have to pay into the Public Service Pension program.[2]
Election results
Election results for the first referendum are below:[3]
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 1,393,877 | 79.74% | ||
| No | 354,134 | 20.26% | ||
The second referendum would have allowed the Oireachtas to establish an "effective system of inquiry, which can secure effective and cost-efficient parliamentary scrutiny of issues of significant public importance."[1] The measure would have allowed the Dáil or the Seanad to pursue inquiries alone or in conjunction with the other House in regards to any person serving in the House.[2] One of the Presidential candidates, Mary Davis, had stated that she had voted against this measure, noting that she felt if it were to be approved it would have undermined the rights of the citizens. Eight former Attorneys Generals also issued a letter stating their opposition to this amendment as well, that extending the Oireachtas powers in this manner would have gone against civil liberties. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties had also noted its opposition to the amendment.[4] Ballotpedia had not identified support for the measure. If you're aware of any information surrounding the measures, email editor@ballotpedia.org.
Election results
Election results for the second referendum are below:[3]
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No | 928,175 | 53.34% | ||
| Yes | 812,008 | 46.66% | ||
External links
See also
Additional reading
- BBC News, "Irish vote to reject inquiries amendment," October 31, 2011
- The Independent, "Colum Kenny: Ballot on judicial pay a sad sideshow to the real issues," October 9, 2011
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Journal, "Poll shows support for passing two referendums," October 8, 2011
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Journal, "What are the two referendums about? Your guide to the 27 October ballot," October 15, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Irish Times, "Referendum loss 'disappointing'," October 30, 2011
- ↑ Irish Examiner, "Davis to vote against 30th amendment," October 24, 2011
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