Ireland Chooses a New Voice: Catherine Connolly Takes the Presidential Role

Ireland has a new president, and her name is Catherine Connolly. She won big, taking 63% of the votes. Her opponent, Heather Humphreys, got 29%. Connolly is known for her left-leaning views and has been a critic of Israel's actions in Gaza. She also warns about the EU becoming too militarized. Connolly is 68 years old and has been a lawmaker since 2016. She promised to be a president for everyone and to support Ireland's policy of neutrality. Humphreys admitted she lost before all the votes were counted. Connolly will replace Michael D. Higgins, who has been president since 2011. She is the third woman to hold this role. Many left-leaning parties, like Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, and the Social Democrats, supported her. The prime minister, Micheál Martin, congratulated Connolly on her win. He said he looks forward to working with her as Ireland prepares to host the EU presidency in 2026. Even though the president's role is mostly ceremonial, left-wing parties see this as a big change in Irish politics. One interesting thing is that there were a lot of spoiled ballots this time. The electoral commission says this shows that many people are unhappy with politics. The deputy premier, Simon Harris, agrees and thinks they need to make changes to how presidential candidates are nominated. Not many people voted, though. Only 46% of eligible voters showed up, and there were nearly 214, 000 invalid ballots. This is a big increase from the last presidential election in 2018.