Former taoiseach Mr John Bruton has denied allegations by Fianna Fáil of Fine Gael hypocrisy over the electronic voting system.
Fine Gael have joined forces with Labour and the Greens in opposing plans to introduce e-voting in this year's European and local elections. The Dáil yesterday debated a Fine Gael motion calling for the establishment of an independent commission to oversee the process and for a voter-verified paper audit trail to be provided.
Fianna Fáil Limerick East TD Mr Peter Power yesterday produced an information leaflet published by Fine Gael explaining the e-voting process. He said it showed Fine Gael were fully supportive of the measure at the time.
However, Mr Bruton countered today, saying he wrote to the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern in April 2002, expressing "grave reservations" about the new system. Mr Bruton's Meath constituency was one of three chosen to pilot the new system in the last general election.
"I corresponded privately with him about the matter in the hope of persuading him to change his mind. But I have now no option but to make this correspondence public because the Taoiseach's own party has sought to accuse Fine Gael of hypocrisy on the basis of literature issued over my name in Meath."
In the letter, Mr Bruton argues that not enough was being done to explain the new procedures to the public, particularly elderly voters who would be unfamiliar with computers.
He also protested at the lack of a paper trail and fears over the loss of transparency. "Ordinary members of the public are not in a position to query errors that there might be in the software," he wrote. "The whole process becomes hidden rather than open."
Mr Ahern insisted in the Dáil yesterday that introducing a dual system of electronic and paper voting was pointless. "That is like keeping the punt and the euro," he said.