NON-RUNNER:A BELATED discovery of lack of citizenship by a confirmed Seanad election candidate means she cannot run for the Upper House – but her name will remain on the ballot paper.
Environmental scientist and marine biologist Karin Dubsky (54) was a candidate on the Dublin University Seanad election panel.
The part-time lecturer in civil engineering at Trinity College discovered after nominations closed on March 3rd she was not a citizen. She appealed yesterday to graduates: “Don’t vote for me.”
Originally from Germany but living in Ireland since she was 10, Ms Dubsky said: “I always understood I was a citizen and have voted in every election.
“I have always held a German passport because you can only have one, but I assumed I was an Irish citizen.”
Ms Dubsky said when she realised the situation, she rushed to complete all the necessary documentation to take up Irish citizenship and revoke her German passport.
She said, however, that in the process the Minister for Justice “would still have to offer me citizenship but queue jumping is not allowed” and it would be seen as “interfering in the election.
“The absurd thing is that either way it’s interfering in the election.”
Ms Dubsky said she got confirmation by telephone yesterday that she was not eligible to stand.
The Department of the Environment confirmed last night that Ms Dubsky was no longer a candidate but her name remained on the ballot paper because the deadline to withdraw had passed.
