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Newly elected Prime Minister Simon Harris leaves the Dail, in Dublin, following the vote by Irish parliamentarians to elect him, making him the youngest taoiseach in Ireland's history.
The Emerald Isle has a new leader. Ireland’s parliament on Tuesday elected Simon Harris as the country’s next taoiseach (prime minister) after Leo Varadkar unexpectedly announced his resignation last month.
Harris, 37, is Ireland’s youngest-ever taoiseach. He ran unopposed to replace Varadkar as leader of the center-right Fine Gael Party, which is in a coalition government with Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. Harris served as higher education minister in Varadkar’s government. He was also Ireland’s health minister when it voted to legalize abortion — a move he strongly supported — and at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which boosted his national profile.
What’s on his agenda? Harris faces challenges ranging from a housing crisis to beleaguered health services. He pledged to prioritize housing in a speech on Tuesday.
“Today, I recommit to moving mountains to help build more homes,” Harris said, vowing to “build a new social contract.”
An election looms. The clock is ticking for Harris, given that a general election must be held by March 2025. “Time is short, and there is lots to do,” Harris said Tuesday.
His coalition also faces a challenge from the nationalist, left-wing Sinn Fein Party.
Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein’s leader, portrayed Harris as a continuation of the status quo. “Here we go again — pass the parcel with the keys to the taoiseach’s office one more time,” she said.
A recent opinion poll showed Sinn Fein leading Fine Gael, 26% to 21%. Both parties were down a point from the previous poll, which suggests Harris has his work cut out for him.