DUBLIN — In a striking development during Maria Steen’s campaign for the Irish presidency, emails advocating for her nomination were sent to ten independent and government-supporting TDs (Teachtaí Dála) just days before the close of nominations. These messages, directed towards promoting Steen, hailed her as a candidate who represents “life, family, community, and free speech” while urging recipients to “break the cartel lock on Áras.”
The emails, signed under the guise of Irish constituents, originated from CitizenGo, a Spanish political organization founded in 2013 as an affiliate of the far-right Catholic group HazteOir. This organization has increasingly engaged in influencing Irish politics and has been present in the nation for several years, facilitated by anti-abortion advocate Scott Schittl, who has ties to the Life Institute.
CitizenGo’s methodology involves inundating the inboxes of public servants and legislators with messages, relying on online petitions to mobilize support. Their petition titled “Give Ireland a Real Chance to Nominate Maria Steen for President” emphasizes the importance of signatures in capturing the attention of political staffers.
Despite the attempts by CitizenGo to bolster Steen’s candidacy, there is no concrete evidence that she or her campaign endorsed this external involvement in the nomination process. Some TDs, like Mattie McGrath and Carol Nolan—who had publicly supported Steen—appeared to be entirely unaware of CitizenGo’s maneuvers.
The context of CitizenGo’s interference becomes particularly notable when considering its board member Luca Volonté, a former Italian MP entangled in a bribery scandal connected to Azerbaijan. Volonté was convicted in 2021 for facilitating a money laundering scheme involving millions intended to influence the Council of Europe. His controversial legacy included a €25,000 donation to the Iona Institute in 2014, coinciding with his corrupt dealings, which inadvertently ties into the funding narrative surrounding Steen.
Recent developments have seen Ireland remain vulnerable to foreign influences in political processes, a reality underscored by investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan’s warnings about “dark money” infiltrating Irish politics. Despite the increasing visibility of such risks, robust media coverage on the matter remains noticeably absent in Ireland.
As CitizenGo moves forward with hiring new campaign personnel, observers are left pondering the implications this has for Irish political integrity and the broader influence of international entities on local elections.
