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Enda Kenny, Tom Arnold and Eamon Gilmore pictured today. Government press office
Reform
At last: Constitutional Convention to hold first meeting in December
The first meeting of the Constitutional Convention was delayed as the Government searched for a chairperson – but it’s now set to meet at the start of December
IT HAS TAKEN longer than expected to organise but the first meeting of the Constitutional Convention has been confirmed for the start of December.
Chair of the Convention Tom Arnold today met with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore to discuss the initial meeting of the body tasked with examining how to reform and modernise the 1937 Constitution. The first official meeting will take place on Saturday 1 December in Dublin Castle.
The Convention had been due to begin meeting in October but was delayed as the search for a suitable chairperson took longer than had been expected.
The 100-strong Convention will be made up of 66 members of the public who were chosen by a polling company as a representative sample of the Irish public, along with 33 politicians from political parties on both sides of the border, and the chairperson. The group will meet on eight weekends over the next year.
The Convention will initially be looking at whether the current presidential term of seven years should be reduced, and whether the voting age should be lowered from 18.
Further issues that will be examined by the Convention include same sex marriage and the electoral system.
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