Simon Harris named new prime minister of Ireland
His predecessor, Leo Varadkar, resigned in mid-March. He becomes the youngest head of government in the country's history.
(Cordon Press)
The Assembly of Ireland appointed Fine Gael party leader Simon Harris as its new prime minister ("taoiseach"), following the resignation of Leo Varadkar in March. At 37 years old, he becomes the youngest head of government in the history of the country.
"I want to bring new ideas, a new energy, and a new empathy to public life. ... Now is an opportune time to build a new social contract – one which renews our promise as a Republic. To create equality of opportunity. To support those who need the state the most. To protect our hard-earned economic success. To use its benefits to deliver tangible outcomes to society," Harris said as soon as he was named prime minister, in statements reported by AFP.
In this way, Fine Gael retains control in its coalition government with Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. The alliance was necessary to prevent the nationalist party Sinn Féin from assuming the leadership of the Republic of Ireland.
Harris will have just under a year at most before Ireland is set to head to the polls on March 22, 2025.
On March 20, Varadkar resigned as Irish prime minister. His resignation came after the Irish went to the polls en masse on March 8 to reject in a referendum two proposals that sought to redefine the concepts of traditional family and marriage.
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