TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said the Oireachtas may have to look at changing the process by which a person gets on the ballot in presidential elections, which he described as “restrictive”.

Martin was speaking to reporters yesterday evening in the wake of independent Catherine Connolly’s resounding victory in the presidential election, in which she won 63% of the vote. 

While Connolly won by a historic margin, another record was broken yesterday, more people than ever spoiled their votes (one in eight). 

Martin said: “It’s a worry, because I think, first of all, people are entitled to vote, people are entitled not to vote, and I suppose people are entitled in our system to spoil their votes.”

He said that this would need to be interpreted.

“I think there’s probably an issue with the restrictive nature of how one gets on the ballot, and that’s something that, collectively, the Oireachtas can look at,” he said.

There was a concerted campaign by people who supported the socially conservative would-be candidate Maria Steen, who did not make it onto the ballot, to encourage people to spoil their votes in protest at the nomination process. 

“A lot of parties didn’t nominate candidates this time, so hence, by definition, you were going to have fewer candidates,” Martin said.

Changing the nomination process – whereby presidential hopefuls need 20 Oireachtas members or four local councils to back them – would require a referendum. 

“Ultimately, that’s the only way you could do it,” Martin said, adding that it would require “some work between the political parties in the intervening period”.