The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has called for a review of the Electoral Act because it may be having “a chilling effect” on the funding and activities of civil society groups.
The State’s national human rights and equality body has urged Minister for Local Government Eoghan Murphy, Minister of State John Paul Phelan and members of the Oireachtas in a policy statement issued on Monday to ensure the law avoids “undue restrictions” on civil society organisations engaging in legitimacy advocacy.
The IHREC pointed to concerns raised as long ago as 2003 and as recently as last year that the wide scope of the legislation intended to ban large, anonymous foreign donations in elections and referendum campaigns could be hindering the general advocacy work of civil society organisations.
Source: Irish Times
