Simon Harris, aged 37, has become the new taoiseach (Irish prime minister) after being elected by members of the Dáil (Irish parliament). He is the youngest person to ever hold the position. Harris, the new leader of the Fine Gael party, succeeded Leo Varadkar, who resigned last month. Members of the Dáil voted using a secret ballot, with 88 members supporting Harris while 69 voted against him.
After the results were announced, Harris travelled to meet President Michael D Higgins to receive the seals of office, officially becoming the new taoiseach. His Fine Gael party is currently in a coalition with Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. Although a general election is due by March 2025, opposition parties have called for an early election as this is the third time the coalition government has changed its taoiseach in less than four years.
Harris has been a member of the Wicklow constituency for over two decades, having first entered elected politics at the age of 24. In her speech addressing the Dáil, Social Protection Minister Heather Humpreys spoke of her first impression of Harris back in 2011. She said, “I saw this young lad walking around the place and I said to myself: ‘Ah, sure he must be on a school tour or on work experience’.” She further added that it was clear from his first day in the Dáil that Harris was on his way to achieving great heights in politics.
The new taoiseach vowed to lead the coalition government in a spirit of “unity, collaboration and mutual respect”. He said he is not planning on going to the polls any earlier than currently planned, indicating that he wants the government to run for a full term. Harris was the only candidate to seek the party leadership after Mr Varadkar’s resignation announcement in March
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