Simon Harris became Ireland’s prime minister in waiting on Sunday after nominations closed for the leadership of the governing Fine Gael party with no other candidate publicly declaring their intention to succeed Leo Varadkar.
As no other candidates for the leadership of the center-right Fine Gael presented themselves prior to the deadline, Harris became the de facto leader of the party and will be declared its leader officially later on Sunday.
The next step is to vote him in as the new Taoiseach (prime minister), which is to take place during the next sitting of the Dáil (lower house of parliament) on April 9. Together with its coalition partners, center-right Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, Fine Gael commands 80 votes against 79 votes of the opposition. The Ceann Comhairle (speaker) does not vote unless there is a need to break a tie, but if it would come to that for whatever reason, Seán Ó Fearghaíl, the current speaker, is a member of Fianna Fáil.
Harris, who served as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, is known for helping steer the country’s initial response to COVID-19. If voted in, the 37-year-old will become Ireland’s youngest-ever head of cabinet.
Harris has spoken in recent days of how he became involved in politics as an “opinionated, moody teenager” annoyed at the lack of educational supports for his autistic brother. He has sought to paint himself as an “accidental politician,” even though he has spent most of his adult life in parliament.
He is one of Ireland’s most visible government ministers and a strong media performer. His keen social media presence led one opponent in parliament to dub Harris the “TikTok taoiseach”.
Rocky road to 2025 elections
Leo Varadkar’s Wednesday announcement of his departure came unexpectedly, catching even his closest political allies by surprise. According to Varadkar, Fine Gael would stand a better chance of re-election under another leader.
While the economy grew strongly under Varadkar, successive governments have struggled to tackle a decade-long housing crisis and, more recently, the pressure from record numbers of asylum seekers and refugees.
Inheriting a three-party coalition government working off an agreed policy program will give Harris little room for any major new policy initiatives, making the task of saving the coalition from defeat in the upcoming election the more daunting.
He will have less than a year to achieve that, as the next parliamentary elections must take place no later than March 22, 2025.
Polls for the last three years have put the left-wing, Sinn Féin as the favorite to head the next government. The party, also known for its long-time association with the Irish Republican Army and determination to see UK’s Northern Ireland reunited with the Republic of Ireland, has, however, lost some support since its peak popularity more than a year ago, but the loss benefited smaller parties and independent candidates rather than the ruling coalition.
The next step is to vote him in as the new Taoiseach (prime minister), which is to take place during the next sitting of the Dáil (lower house of parliament) on April 9. Together with its coalition partners, center-right Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, Fine Gael commands 80 votes against 79 votes of the opposition. The Ceann Comhairle (speaker) does not vote unless there is a need to break a tie, but if it would come to that for whatever reason, Seán Ó Fearghaíl, the current speaker, is a member of Fianna Fáil.
Harris, who served as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, is known for helping steer the country’s initial response to COVID-19. If voted in, the 37-year-old will become Ireland’s youngest-ever head of cabinet.
Harris has spoken in recent days of how he became involved in politics as an “opinionated, moody teenager” annoyed at the lack of educational supports for his autistic brother. He has sought to paint himself as an “accidental politician,” even though he has spent most of his adult life in parliament.
He is one of Ireland’s most visible government ministers and a strong media performer. His keen social media presence led one opponent in parliament to dub Harris the “TikTok taoiseach”.
Rocky road to 2025 elections
Leo Varadkar’s Wednesday announcement of his departure came unexpectedly, catching even his closest political allies by surprise. According to Varadkar, Fine Gael would stand a better chance of re-election under another leader.
While the economy grew strongly under Varadkar, successive governments have struggled to tackle a decade-long housing crisis and, more recently, the pressure from record numbers of asylum seekers and refugees.
Inheriting a three-party coalition government working off an agreed policy program will give Harris little room for any major new policy initiatives, making the task of saving the coalition from defeat in the upcoming election the more daunting.
He will have less than a year to achieve that, as the next parliamentary elections must take place no later than March 22, 2025.
Polls for the last three years have put the left-wing, Sinn Féin as the favorite to head the next government. The party, also known for its long-time association with the Irish Republican Army and determination to see UK’s Northern Ireland reunited with the Republic of Ireland, has, however, lost some support since its peak popularity more than a year ago, but the loss benefited smaller parties and independent candidates rather than the ruling coalition.
Source: Reuters, TVP World
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