MARY DAVIS HAS said she will vote no in the referendum on granting powers of inquiry to the Oireachtas this Thursday as some of her fellow presidential candidates declined to say which way they will vote on Thursday.

With two referendums to take place this week alongside the presidential election – one concerning cutting judges’ pay and the other to grant powers of inquiry to the two Houses of the Oireachtas – candidates have differing views on which way they will vote.

Independent candidate Davis released a statement today to say she would vote against the proposal to grant powers of inquiry to the two houses of the Oireachtas, describing the debate on the matter as “inadequate and insufficient”.

Her campaign later confirmed she would vote in favour of cutting judges’ pay in line with the public sector.

Elsewhere, both independent Seán Gallagher and Labour’s Michael D Higgins have both said it would be inappropriate as candidates for the presidency to indicate which way they intended to vote.

Higgins’s campaign did confirm he will be casting his vote in both referendums.

Independent David Norris said he wishes to respect the secrecy of the ballot but told TheJournal.ie he had concerns that the referendums would “represent a further, considerable increase in the power of politicians”.

He added that he did not doubt the proposal to cut judges’ would be passed.

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness does not have a vote in the Republic but has advocated a yes vote in both referendums.

The campaigns of Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell and independent Dana Rosemary Scallon could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

Read: Let’s figure this out – what’s the real plural of referendum?

Column: A ‘Yes’ vote on Oireachtas inquiries will bring us a vital democratic function

Column: Cutting judges’ pay has a price – and it’s not worth it

Poll: How will you vote on the judges’ pay referendum?

Poll: How will you vote on the referendum on Oireachtas inquiries?