Mar 20, 2014

Referendums On Direct Provision And The New Constitution Pass By Comfortable Margins

Trinity students have voted to adopt a new constitution and a long-term policy on direct provision for asylum-seekers.

Leanna Byrne | Editor

Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) today passed two referendums, on direct provision for asylum-seekers and a new constitution, and will now be incorporated into their long-term policy.

The new constitution passed with a high 87 per cent margin. There was also comfortable margin for the ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum on TCDSU’s long-term policy on abolishing the system as 66.4 per cent of students voted for the Union to actively campaign on this issue.

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The votes were cast over a period of two days, across campus and off-campus locations, and ballots were counted by the Electoral Commission (EC) in the SU Front Office this afternoon. The total votes cast was 343 for the direct provision referendum and 340 for the implementation of the draft constitution.

Speaking on the result, TCDSU President Tom Lenihan said “we are happy to see these referendums being passed. We will make sure that the introduction of the new constitution will go as smoothly as possible and that the union campaigns for the rights of asylum seekers.”

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