Simon Harris to become Ireland’s youngest prime minister

After the internal Fine Gael party elections, Simon Harris emerged as the youngest prime minister of Ireland as no other competitors participated in the race.

The position of leader became empty when the taoiseach (prime minister) unexpectedly resigned for reasons related to both his personal life and political beliefs last week.

The minister of higher education, Harris, who is 37 years old, was the sole person running for the position when the nominations deadline passed on Sunday at 1 pm. But, he will not officially become the taoiseach until April 9, when the Irish parliament, also known as the Dáil, reconvenes after the Easter holiday.

On Sunday, he presented his leadership objectives at a candidate selection event held in Athlone, located in County Westmeath. The purpose of the event was to pick party nominees for the upcoming European parliament elections set to take place in June.

Harris expressed his desire for Fine Gael, a centre-right political party that rules in alliance with conservative parties Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, to return to its fundamental principles. This includes ensuring fair compensation for labor, enforcing strict law and order policies, and providing aid to farmers.

Fine Gael is a political party that is known for backing small businesses all over the country. They believe that work should be worthwhile and that those who work hard should be appreciated.

As the spectators cheered, he further stated: "Law and order is what Fine Gael represents."

During his speech, he expressed gratitude for being chosen as the leader, stating that it was the greatest honor of his life. As he finished, the audience stood up and applauded him. He then asked those present if they were ready for the challenge ahead, indicating his eagerness to take it on.

It is believed that Heather Humphreys, the minister in charge of social protection, who hails from a rural area near the border, will be chosen to serve as the party's second-in-command.

There is no information from Harris about potential changes in the Fine Gael ministerial lineup. However, some people think that ministers who won't run in the next election might be removed. Many believe that Simon Coveney could be one of those who loses their position during the restructuring.

Varadkar stepped down from his position as a result of acknowledging the government's accountable failure during the recent referendums to revise the inclusion of women and family in the constitution.

Many people believe Harris is an effective communicator, especially on social media. He has worked in several government roles, such as health minister during the beginning of the Covid outbreak.

Despite receiving much acclaim for his management of the pandemic situation, he had to express his regrets for what he referred to as a "terrible mistake" following a radio interview in which he inaccurately stated that there were eighteen different strains of coronavirus prior to Covid-19.

Prior to Varadkar stepping down, it was expected that Ireland's upcoming overall election would take place in October, following a budget announcement in September. However, the heads of both Fianna Fáil and the Greens propose that the current government should complete the remainder of its 12-month term.

In the polls, Sinn Féin, the nationalist party and main opposition in Ireland that leans towards the left wing, is beating both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. However, the political circumstances may still change as they are uncertain.

Sinn Féin, which was previously known as the political branch of the IRA, holds the title of the most considerable party in the assembly of Northern Ireland.

According to a survey conducted by the Sunday Business Post, there has been a decline in the number of people who back the three political parties following the referendums. All three parties advocated voting in favor of the suggested modifications.

Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Féin, has called for an election to take place ASAP, but it's improbable that Harris will agree to her request. Instead, he is planning to put his efforts into energizing his party and paying attention to the most important issues for voters, which includes housing.