İçerik Haritası
Left-wing independent Catherine Connolly secured a landslide victory in Ireland’s presidential election after her centre-right opponent, Heather Humphreys, conceded defeat on Saturday afternoon.
Humphreys congratulated Connolly on her win, “Catherine will be a President for all of us, and she will be my President, and I really would like to wish her all the very very best”.
Counting was underway on Saturday, as early tallies showed Connolly holding a substantial lead to succeed outgoing president Michael D Higgins.
The majority of left-leaning parties, including Sinn Féin, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats, had expressed support for the left-wing frontrunner, who has been an independent lawmaker since 2016.
Connolly, 68, has been a strong critic of both the European Union and the United States, and denounced the EU’s plans to ramp up military spending. She has also been an outspoken critic of Israel over its offensive in Gaza. The former barrister gained support among young voters after she blamed government policy for the housing crisis.
Initially three candidates were in the running to become the country’s tenth president. However, Jim Gavin, the candidate for Prime Minister Micheál Martin’s Fianna Fáil’s party, pulled out from the race over a financial dispute dating back to 2009. Despite his withdrawal, Gavin’s name remained on the ballot paper.
Irish presidents represent the country on a world stage, host visiting heads of state and hold specific constitutional powers, the role is largely ceremonial as they do not hold power to shape laws or policies.
Quoted from Euronews.
