The competition for the position of Ireland’s next prime minister is becoming a clear front-runner as the minister of higher education, Simon Harris, gained the support of nearly half of his party members even before officially entering the race.
Shortly after nominations were made available on Thursday to replace Leo Varadkar, whose sudden resignation as leader of Fine Gael and Taoiseach surprised the nation, Harris had gained the support of 24 out of the party’s 54 TDs (Members of Parliament), senators, and MEPs (Members of the European Parliament).
In an effort to secure his election, four prominent potential opponents have withdrawn from the race one by one on Thursday. This leaves Harris as the clear front-runner and, if successful, he would become Ireland’s youngest taoiseach.
Harris, who is 37 years old, left college to pursue a career in politics. At the young age of 24, he became a TD and it is anticipated that he will announce his official candidacy later today.
Ministers Simon Coveney, Helen McEntee, Paschal Donohoe and Heather Humphreys, responsible for enterprise, justice, public expenditure, and social protection, respectively, have all announced that they will not be running in the upcoming elections, with some expressing support for Harris.
Harris’ momentum building like an unstoppable force.
Although nominations for Fine Gael leader will not end until noon on Monday, there is a chance that the Wicklow TD will not have any competition. A member of parliament told the Irish Times that the support for him is comparable to a powerful force that cannot be stopped.
According to the party’s regulations, 65% of the total votes in leadership elections come from TDs, senators, and MEPs. This means that any contender who enters the race before the deadline would require almost unanimous support from council members and ordinary members to surpass the current frontrunner.
According to Paul Cunningham from public broadcaster RTE, the race seems to be coming to an end. While contenders can still join until Monday, with Donohoe no longer in the running, it seems difficult for anyone to compete against Harris. Cunningham also commented that the race was starting to resemble more of a coronation than a competition.
Varadkar announced his resignation citing “personal and political” motives and is looking to have his replacement as party leader selected before the annual conference on 6 April. Parliament will then vote on the new leader becoming taoiseach on 10 April.
Varadkar stated at an EU meeting held in Brussels on Thursday that he will adhere to his party’s custom of not publicly endorsing a specific candidate to take over his role. This decision will enable him to give full support to whoever is elected as the next leader.
He said he had been thinking of quitting since Christmas and insisted “no event, no one thing” had pushed him into the decision, rather a feeling that it was time for someone who may have “new ideas” to take the party into the next election.
“I came to a final conclusion over the weekend, and once my mind was made up, it was important for me to follow through on it,” he stated. Suggesting that he was tired, he mentioned that his partner Matt was happy with his choice.
He also had a problem with individuals who were criticizing the timing of his resignation several months before a general election. Varadkar stated that it is normal and not negative for there to be changes in politics.
He dismissed the idea that he was pursuing a high-ranking job in the EU and stated that he would continue as a parliamentary member in his Dublin constituency. He also announced his plans to support his party’s candidates in the upcoming local and European parliamentary elections, and mentioned that he hasn’t made a decision on whether he will run for office again.
During the month of March, Varadkar’s administration encountered significant losses in two referendums regarding language about family and women in the constitution. However, he maintained that the negative outcomes did not heavily impact his ultimate decision.
Harris, who has served in various government positions, including in the health sector, received praise for his handling of the Covid crisis. He was initially elected to the Dail (the Irish parliament) in 2011 and was the youngest member at the time.
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He pursued a degree in journalism but did not finish the program. He is known among his peers for being approachable and an effective communicator, and he played a prominent role in the 2017 referendum that legalized abortion in Ireland.
If Harris were to be elected, he would become the youngest prime minister in the country’s history, surpassing Varadkar, who was 38 when he was first chosen in 2017. Harris had also previously served as a junior minister in the finance department from 2014 to 2016.
Prior to Varadkar’s announcement, it was expected that Ireland would hold elections in October to select a new government. However, Fine Gael’s coalition partners, Fianna Fail and the Greens, have stated that the current administration should serve its entire term.
The victor will have a maximum of one year to attempt to recover from a significant deficit in public opinion polls leading up to the next general election. Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are currently behind the main opposition party, Sinn Fein, which was previously the political arm of the IRA.
The opposition is pushing for an immediate election.
Sinn Fein’s leader, Mary Lou McDonald, stated that instead of continuing on with the same pattern of rotating the position of taoiseach, it is time to take the appropriate democratic course and let the people decide.
Source: theguardian.com
