Ireland’s president-elect, Catherine Connolly, used her victory speech on Sunday to promise an "inclusive republic that values diversity and the new people who have come to our country." The landslide result gives the independent left-winger moral authority, if not executive power, to influence the national conversation on immigration and integration.
While the presidency is largely ceremonial, Connolly’s predecessors – notably Mary Robinson and Michael D. Higgins – shaped social debates through speeches and international advocacy. Policy experts expect Connolly to use overseas trips and meetings with the Irish diaspora to promote more open migration policies and to support ratification of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Business groups welcomed the tone, saying it complements Ireland’s skills-based work-permit regime and helps multinational employers attract talent. However, anti-immigration protesters who gathered outside Citywest reception centre last week vowed to “keep pressure on politicians,” highlighting a widening divide in public opinion.
In practical terms, Connolly can convene periodic councils of state and refer legislation to the Supreme Court, potentially influencing any future tightening of asylum rules. Her office also hosts annual forums on the Irish abroad, which mobility managers use to press for tax and social-security reforms affecting assignees.
While the presidency is largely ceremonial, Connolly’s predecessors – notably Mary Robinson and Michael D. Higgins – shaped social debates through speeches and international advocacy. Policy experts expect Connolly to use overseas trips and meetings with the Irish diaspora to promote more open migration policies and to support ratification of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Business groups welcomed the tone, saying it complements Ireland’s skills-based work-permit regime and helps multinational employers attract talent. However, anti-immigration protesters who gathered outside Citywest reception centre last week vowed to “keep pressure on politicians,” highlighting a widening divide in public opinion.
In practical terms, Connolly can convene periodic councils of state and refer legislation to the Supreme Court, potentially influencing any future tightening of asylum rules. Her office also hosts annual forums on the Irish abroad, which mobility managers use to press for tax and social-security reforms affecting assignees.
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