Growing opposition to holding the referendums on the Northern Ireland Agreement and the Amsterdam Treaty on the same day has emerged among a number of political parties and organisations.
The Green Party, which supports the Northern Ireland Agreement, has called for the postponement of the Amsterdam Treaty referendum to another date later in the year, as have other opponents of the treaty such as Mr Joe Higgins TD of the Socialist Party and Sinn Fein.
Democratic Left, which is supporting a Yes vote in both referendums, has also said it would prefer, on balance, that the two polls be held on separate days.
A spokesman for Democratic Left, Mr Tony Heffernan, said yesterday that they had already expressed their concern, and the party's leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, had indicated this to the Taoiseach before the Northern Ireland Agreement.
"Our preference would be that the referendums should be held on different days although we acknowledge that there are difficulties in this," he said.
"We would prefer it on balance. There are separate and distinct issues that may become intertwined."
Yesterday the Green Party held a press conference to voice its opposition to holding both polls on May 22nd.
Ms Patricia McKenna MEP said: "It is an insult to the democratic process to hold two complex referendums of vital national importance on the same day."
Irrespective of one's views on either referendum, as democrats it was in everyone's interests to have a full debate on both issues, she said.
Ms McKenna said she had written to the Taoiseach and the Cabinet members to draw attention to what she said was an undemocratic decision. She had also written to Mr John Hume, asking him to put pressure on the Government not to cloud the issues of the Northern Ireland Agreement and the Amsterdam Treaty.
Mr John Gormley, the Green Party TD, said it seemed the Government tactic was to divert attention to Articles 2 and 3, while slipping the Amsterdam Treaty through the back door.
Also opposing the decision at the press conference was the Rev Terence McCaughey of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, who also represented CND.
They would probably be accused of being patronising, he said, but this was not the case. It was a very complex matter.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties expressed its opposition by sending a representative.
Adding to the call for separate referendums earlier this week was the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, who urged the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, not to hold them in tandem. He added that Sinn Fein was calling for a No vote in the Amsterdam Treaty.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party, while supporting the holding of the polls together, yesterday criticised the Government for its paucity of information about the Amsterdam Treaty.
A party spokesman said: "The Labour Party, which is supporting a Yes vote in both, recognises the practicality of holding both referendums on the same day given the importance of the two decisions to be put before the people.
"However, we criticise the efforts of the Government to date in terms of disseminating information to the public on the Amsterdam Treaty. There has been a paucity of information to date. The Referendum Commission will need to increase its efforts."
Fine Gael commented that it was in favour of the referendums being held together. A spokeswoman said that Fine Gael would be leading the charge for a resounding Yes vote on the Northern Ireland Agreement. It had already appointed Mr Gay Mitchell TD as its campaign manager for a Yes vote in the Amsterdam Treaty referendum.