‘Mistake to assume spoiled votes is evidence of a spectacular far-right upsurge’: Councillor

FOLLOWING the presidential election, the record number of spoiled votes has attracted significant attention.

Throughout the country, there was a staggering 213,738 invalid ballots, which is 13 per cent of all votes.

While in Donegal, 12.7 per cent of votes cast were spoiled, a significant increase on the 2018 presidential election, when just 1.8 per cent of voters in the county spoiled their vote.

One voter in the county spoiled their vote by writing Aisling Murphy’s name on the ballot paper. Ms Murphy was a primary school teacher who was murdered in 2022 while out walking in Co Offaly.

Another spoiled their vote by writing ‘not for Ireland’ under the candidates’ names.

Commenting on this, Independent Councillor Micheál Choilm Mac Giolla Easbuig said: “While it is not possible to say, definitively, why so many people decided to spoil their vote, it would be a mistake to assume that this is evidence of a spectacular far-right upsurge.

“For a start, Catherine Connolly secured 914,143 first preference votes, 63 per cent of the total.

“This was a record in 26 county presidential election history, in a turnout of 46 per cent, up two per cent on the 2018 presidential election.”

Cllr Mac Giolla Easbuig said this was the result of remarkable, if not ground-breaking, cooperation between four opposition parties.

“There is then the fact that there was a great amount of resentment among the grass roots supporters of the two main conservative parties with their leadership’s selection of candidates,” the Rann na Feirste native continued.

“The unqualified mess made by Micheál Martin, with his insistence on foisting Jim Gavin on the Fianna Fáil party, has been well reported.

“So large is disquiet within the party that there are well founded reports of a threat to his leadership.

“Although not maybe just as damaging, there was also unease within the Fine Gael party after a woeful performance by its candidate.

“Shortly after the result made clear the extent of the Humphreys collapse, the party’s Kerry based MEP Sean Kelly spoke publicly about his discontent with the selection process.

“It is hardly a coincidence that Kerry was one of only four constituencies with over 7,000 spoiled votes.

“Moreover, there was the frustration felt by many conservatives, as distinct from fascist, at the restrictions placed on entry into the contest.

“The case of Maria Steen, who came so close to securing a nomination, highlighting this issue.”

Taken together, Cllr Mac Giolla Easbuig said it is highly probable that many supporters of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, along with other conservatives, decided to spoil their votes by way of a quiet but very noticeable protest.

“After all, they are people most used to voting, rather than abstaining altogether,” he said.

“This is not to say that the far-right did not influence a percentage of the electorate to spoil their vote.

“In reality, they have faired extremely poorly when contesting elections and it’s unlikely that they have managed to improve their performance this time either.

“The fascists have a purchase that must not be dismissed but nor should it be overstated.

“On the other hand, a left-wing candidate, excoriated by the right-wing press and establishment, succeeded in securing close to one million votes.

“That, perhaps, is the best message to take from this presidential election.”