Minister Joe O’Brien welcomes new Independent Electoral Commission

15th February, 2023

Commission, directly accountable to the Oireachtas, delivered by the Green Party

Minister Joe O’Brien has welcomed the work of his Green Party colleague Minister Malcolm Noonan in delivering a new and Independent Electoral Commission for Ireland. The establishment of the Commission, which will be directly accountable to the Oireachtas, is a major milestone in the reform and modernisation of Ireland’s electoral system.

Commenting on the new Commission, Minister Joe O’Brien said:

“This new Independent, statutory Electoral Commission is very welcome. It has taken 30 years and eight Government decisions but ultimately it was delivered by the Green Party in Government. It will ensure the integrity and robustness of our electoral system, including regulating online political advertising and protecting elections against online disinformation.”

““It will also help us ensure better representation by reviewing electoral boundaries to ensure they reflect demographic change, remove barriers to participation by researching the experiences of marginalised or disenfranchised groups, and leading on the communication of impartial, reliable information on voting, elections and referendums to everyone, including hard to reach groups. This will mean we will see a broader representation and improved participation at all levels of politics and our society, our political system, and our culture are richer with increased diversity.”

Minister Malcolm Noonan, Heritage and Electoral Reform, stated:

“The establishment of An Coimisiún Toghcháin is excellent news for our democracy, and further evidence that the Greens are delivering on long-held goals in collaboration with our Government partners. Ireland is known for the high democratic standard of its electoral processes and today’s announcement ensures that this will remain the case into the future.”

Chaired by Hon. Ms. Justice Marie Baker, An Coimisiún Toghcháin was a key commitment in the Programme for Government and follows on from the passing of the Electoral Reform Act 2022 last summer. Hon. Ms. Justice Marie Baker was appointed to the role of Chairperson, completing the seven-person membership of the commission alongside four ordinary members, the Clerk of the Dáil and the Ombudsman.