Simon Harris made history on Tuesday by assuming the mantle of Ireland‘s youngest-ever prime minister, promising to inject the leadership with a dose of renewed vigor, though cognizant of the looming electoral challenges on the horizon.
At 37 years old, Harris steps into the shoes of Leo Varadkar, who unexpectedly resigned last month, citing a mix of personal and political factors.
With a vote of 88 to 69, Ireland’s parliament threw its support behind Harris, culminating in his formal inauguration at a ceremony graced by President Michael D. Higgins.
Following Varadkar’s resignation, the centre-right Fine Gael party, a key player in the three-party governing coalition, unanimously appointed Harris as its leader in an uncontested election.
However, he must navigate key elections on the horizon alongside mounting domestic pressure to address housing crises and confront opposition to migration.
On accepting the nomination, Harris told parliament: “This is very much a partnership government and I intend to lead us in the spirit of unity, collaboration, and mutual respect,” he said, watched by his wife and two children.
“I want to bring new ideas and new energy and, I hope, a new empathy to public life. Time is certainly short, and there’s a lot to do,” Harris added.
Varadkar quit last month saying that at the age of 45 he no longer felt he was the “best person” to lead the country. Varadkar, the youngest prime minister when first elected in 2017, said Tuesday said he “always knew” Harris would fill the top job.
“This has perhaps come a little bit sooner than he might have planned or expected. But I know he will rise to the occasion,” Varadkar said.
“He has the empathy, energy, experience, campaigning skills and political antenna to take us forward.” Harris’s crowning as prime minister, known as the “taoiseach” in Gaelic, caps a meteoric political rise.
At 16, he joined Fine Gael’s youth sector and swiftly progressed within its ranks. By 22, he became a county councillor, winning a parliamentary seat at 24 in 2011.
Recognized as the youngest MP at the time, he was affectionately known as the “Baby of the Dáil” in the Irish parliament. At the age of 29, he took on the role of health minister in 2016, then higher education minister in 2020.