SOCIAL DEMOCRAT ELLIE Kisyombe will be allowed to run under the party’s banner in the upcoming local elections after an independent review into her candidacy. 

The party announced the results of the review this afternoon and said Kisoymbe agreed to make changes to her campaign literature to “properly reflect her history and circumstances”.

The review came after an article in The Sunday Times reported that Kisyombe, who is in the Direct Provision system, gave details in media interviews that did not match her official record.

The newspaper outlined how she first arrived in Ireland on a student visa in 2011, before travelling to the UK where she then applied for asylum. The articles states that she then applied for asylum in Ireland before being arrested in the UK in 2014 suspicion of illegal entry. 

The SocDems’ website had said that Kisyombe “came to Ireland from Malawi in 2011 and has spent several years living in Direct Provision”. In media interviews she had not made reference to her asylum application in the UK. 

The apparent discrepancies led to the independent review by the Social Democrats and the the resignation of a number of members who were unhappy with the review.

This afternoon, the party said in a statement that her candidacy in the Dublin North Inner City Ward will continue.

“The National Executive of the Social Democrats has completed the independent review process into the candidacy of Ellie Kisoymbe for Dublin’s North Inner City constituency.”

Following a number of recommendations arising from the review, the candidate has undertaken a series of commitments including revising her campaign literature to properly reflect her history and circumstances. The candidate has also corrected the chronology of her backstory to the satisfaction of the National Executive at this time. 

“Following the completion of the independent review, and subsequent undertakings from the candidate, the National Executive of the party are happy for the candidate’s campaign to proceed for the 2019 Local Election in the Dublin North Inner City constituency,” the statement added.

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