Simon Harris to be Ireland’s youngest PM after clinching party leadership

On April 9, when the parliament next convenes, Harris will become the youngest prime minister in Ireland's history.

Simon Harris has been selected as the new leader of Fine Gael, the governing party in Ireland. He will take on the role of the country's youngest prime minister.

On Sunday, the individual who is aged 37 stated that becoming the leader of the party was the biggest privilege of their life. This came after Leo Varadkar, the former leader, unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday, believing that the party would be better led by someone else.

On April 9, the Oireachtas, which is the parliament in the Republic of Ireland, will vote in Harris as their newest taoiseach. He will be the youngest to ever hold this position and it is made possible through the support of Fine Gael's coalition partners.

Simon Coveney, the Fine Gael deputy leader, expressed his belief that the leadership was successfully secured in a thorough and efficient manner, praising the individual responsible for their success.

Harris promised the members of the centre-right party that he would show his appreciation by putting in a lot of effort and dedication, with a lot of sacrifices and humility. He pledged to work tirelessly every day with a responsible, respectful, and polite attitude.

Harris declared his top objectives, emphasizing that Fine Gael is committed to promoting lawfulness and stated his intention to reclaim their banner from nationalists, which was enthusiastically applauded by the attendees.

He additionally expressed his intention to implement an immigration policy that is "better organized and environmentally viable," after mounting conflicts related to the subject. Additionally, he plans to resist the potential hazards of populism.

Concerning international affairs, he requested an instant end to the fighting in Gaza and denounced Russia's unlawful and appalling attack on Ukraine.

He only has one year left to rescue the alliance from a loss in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Over the past three years, surveys have revealed that Sinn Fein, which supports the merging of Northern Ireland, a British province, is the most favored left-wing party to take charge of the next government.

Yet, on Sunday, two additional surveys confirmed a current pattern indicating that backing for Sinn Fein has decreased from its previous height 12 to 18 months ago.

Before Varadkar stepped down as the taoiseach, a Business Post/Red C poll discovered that Sinn Fein was ahead of Fine Gael by six percentage points. Another survey by Irish Independent/Ireland Thinks also indicated a five-point lead for Sinn Fein.

Harris, who previously held the position of minister for education, research and science, gained recognition for assuming accountability for Ireland's handling of the COVID-19 situation.

In a recent statement, he revealed that his foray into politics began during his teenage years when he was a passionate and temperamental individual. He was deeply concerned about the inadequate educational resources available for his brother who has autism.

Even though Harris has devoted the majority of his grown-up years in parliament, he portrays himself as an individual who stumbled upon the path of politics.

Because of his activity on the internet, a rival in the Oireachtas gave Harris the nickname "TikTok taoiseach."

During Varadkar's time, the economy developed greatly. However, Harris has been a member of governments that have found it challenging to address the prolonged housing crisis that has lasted for ten years. Additionally, they have also had to deal with the increasing number of asylum seekers and refugees in the country.

Taking over as the leader of a government that consists of three different parties and already has an established policy program will leave little opportunity for the new leader to introduce significant new policies.

Prior to Harris, Varadkar held the title of the youngest leader in the country's history after being elected at just 38 years old. He also made history as Ireland's inaugural openly homosexual prime minister.

Varadkar, who is of mixed-race, has both Irish and Indian ancestry. This unique heritage makes him the first biracial taoiseach in Ireland's history.

Varadkar, aged 45, has served as taoiseach twice. Firstly, from 2017 until 2020, and currently from December 2022 onwards, in collaboration with Micheal Martin who leads the coalition partner Fianna Fail.

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