Ireland set for its youngest ever prime minister after Simon Harris is elected leader of the Fine Gael party
Source: PBS News Hour/AP
Mar 25, 2024 11:06 AM EDT
LONDON (AP) — Ireland is poised to get its youngest-ever premier next month after Simon Harris secured the leadership of the Fine Gael party on Sunday, replacing Leo Varadkar who announced his surprise resignation last week.
The 37-year-old Harris, who has been the coalition government’s further and higher education minister, was the only candidate to put his name forward to succeed Varadkar, who had been Ireland’s previous youngest prime minister, or what Ireland calls its taoiseach.
Harris is expected to be formally elected premier in the Irish parliament in early April after lawmakers return from their Easter break. In his victory speech in the central Ireland town of Athlone, Harris said this was a “moment for Fine Gael to reconnect” with the people and pledged to fight against populist forces in Irish politics.
“I want this party to fight against populism and deliberate polarization,” he said. He confirmed Fine Gael as a “proudly pro-European party,” condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. “There is a hell of a lot to get done in the time ahead,” he said.
Read more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/ireland-set-for-its-youngest-ever-prime-minister-after-simon-harris-is-elected-leader-of-the-fine-gael-party
