- Simon Harris, 37, set to be Ireland’s youngest PM
- Vows to tackle populism, immigration, and uphold law and order
- Faces elections within a year, Sinn Fein’s popularity wanes
As the new leader of the ruling Fine Gael party, Simon Harris is poised to become the youngest prime minister in the history of Ireland.
On Sunday, the 37-year-old was appointed party leader, succeeding Leo Varadkar, who unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday, stating that the party would be better administered under a different leader. He described his appointment as the “utmost honour of my life.”
Supported by Fine Gael’s coalition allies, Harris will be sworn in as the youngest-ever prime minister of the Republic of Ireland (taoiseach) when the country’s parliament or Oireachtas convenes on April 9.
Insofar as he has been comprehensive in securing the leadership, he has done an outstanding job, said Simon Coveney, deputy leader of Fine Gael.
Harris vowed to the members of the centre-right party that he would “repay their faith with diligent labour, daily with accountability, modesty, and courtesy, in addition to blood, sweat, and tears.”
To enthusiastic applause, Harris declared his objectives, emphasising that Fine Gael “stands for law and order” and that he intended to “reclaim our flag” from nationalists.
In addition, he declared his intention to implement a “more strategic and sustainable” approach to immigration in response to the heightened controversy surrounding the matter. He vowed to “confront the perils of populism.”
He demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza and denounced Russia’s “horrendous illegal invasion of Ukraine” on the international stage.
More than a year will pass before he must avert the coalition’s defeat in parliamentary elections.
Polls have ranked Sinn Fein, a left-wing party that supports unification with the British province of Northern Ireland, as the preferred candidate to lead the next government for the past three years.
Nonetheless, two additional surveys released on Sunday confirmed a recent trend of Sinn Fein support declining from its peak twelve to eighteen months ago.
Prior to Varadkar’s departure as taoiseach, a Business Post/Red C poll estimated Sinn Fein’s lead over Fine Gael to be six percentage points. In contrast, an Irish Independent/Ireland Thinks survey indicated a five-point advantage.
Former minister of education, research, and science, Harris is primarily recognised for assuming accountability for the COVID-19 response in Ireland.
Recent statements indicate that he entered politics as an “opinionated, moody teenager” who was troubled by his autistic brother’s lack of educational support.
Harris, despite having served in parliament for the majority of his professional life, has positioned himself as an “accidental politician.”
An opponent in the Oireachtas referred to Harris as the “TikTok taoiseach” due to his online presence.
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Varadkar oversaw robust economic growth, but subsequent administrations, including the one in which Harris has served, have encountered significant challenges in addressing a housing crisis that has persisted for a decade and, more recently, the unprecedented influx of asylum seekers and refugees.
When a prospective leader assumes power in a three-party coalition government that operates under a predetermined policy agenda, there will be limited scope for significant policy innovations.
Prior to Harris, Varadkar was the nation’s youngest-ever leader and first openly homosexual prime minister when he was elected at the age of 38.
Due to the fact that his father is Indian and his mother is Irish, Varadkar became the first biracial taoiseach in Ireland.
Varadkar, 45, served as taoiseach for two terms: from 2017 to 2020 and again since December 2022, during which time he collaborated with Michael Martin, leader of coalition partner Fianna Fail, in this capacity.
