I would like to support this amendment. I think it is an unfortunate fact that the right to nominate a candidate for the presidency is very much within the realm of the larger political parties at present because irrespective of which mechanism is used, whether it is the requirement for 20 Members of the Oireachtas to sign the nomination paper or the requirement for a number of local authorities to sign it, effectively the political parties decide who is entitled to stand for the office of President. As the office of President is by its very nature seen as being above politics the right to nominate a candidate for the presidency should also be above politics.
It was an unfortunate state of affairs, although I have the height of respect for the people who held the office of President during that time, that for a whole period between, I think, 1974 and 1990, there was no election for the office of President. The larger political parties were able to tick-tack between themselves and decide that there would be an agreed candidate. That is because there is an arrangement that one must have 20 Members of the Oireachtas. The present incumbent barely made it. The number who signed the nomination papers of the incumbent was approximately 24. Therefore, it is something which needs to be opened up to the people.
Deputy Keogh mentioned the constitutional issue involved. Perhaps there are a number of constitutional issues which might be considered in relation to the Office of the President. There has been much talk about opening up the Office of the President, about redefining it, extending its role and so on. The method by which people become President needs to be opened up. This is an obvious area and I ask the Minister to respond positively to the idea of producing a constitutional amendment to open up the procedure for nomination of candidates for the Presidency. It should not be confined to political parties; it should belong to the people. The formula proposed by Deputy Keogh, that people should have the right to sign the nomination papers, is a good one.
Another aspect which needs to be considered in relation to nomination for the Office of President is the age limit. I do not understand why a person must be more than 35 years of age to become President of Ireland. The fact that this age limit was included in the Constitution has given rise to a belief — one which was held until 1990 — that the Office of President was a type of sinecure for retiring politicians. It is a denial of rights to young people here to say that someone under 35 years should not be entitled to be nominated for the Office of President. The 35 years age barrier should be lifted now. It is no longer of any personal concern, but it should be opened up so that any young person who wants to stand for the Office of President is able to do so.