Simon Harris Elected Leader of Ireland’s Fine Gael Party, Set to Be Youngest PM

On the 24th (local time), Simon Harris, the Minister of Higher Education elected as the leader of the ruling party, Fine Gael, in Ireland, is giving a speech. The newly appointed leader, Harris, is expected to become the youngest prime minister in Irish history at the parliament on the 9th of next month. /AP, Yonhap

Amid the global trend of young leadership changes this year, Ireland in Europe is also expected to have a prime minister in his 30s next month.

AP reported on the 24th (local time) that Simon Harris, the 37-year-old Irish Minister of Higher Education, was elected leader of the ruling party, Fine Gael. Later in the day, the party’s executive committee confirmed Harris, the only candidate to run for the position with no other candidates running, as the party’s leader.

Fine Gael elected a new party leader on the day due to the sudden announcement from current Prime Minister Leo Varadkar that he would resign from the party leadership. He held a press conference on the 20th, stating he would immediately resign from the party leadership and step down from the prime minister position after selecting his successor. Varadkar’s reasons for stepping down as party leader were reportedly political and personal.

Born in 1986, Harris is a young politician who joined Fine Gael at 16, became a local councilor at 22, and a member of the Lower House at 24. He first joined the cabinet in 2014 when he was appointed as a minister affiliated with the Ministry of Finance at the age of 27. He has since worked in the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice and is currently serving as the Minister of Education.

The newly appointed leader, Harris, is scheduled to be formally elected prime minister in the parliament on the 9th of next month, after the Easter recess. If he becomes prime minister, he will be the youngest prime minister in Irish history. Varadkar, who took office in 2017, held the record as the youngest prime minister at 38, but Leader Harris will break this record by a year after seven years.

In his speech on the day, Leader Harris evaluated his victory as “a moment when Fine Gael can reconnect with the people” and expressed his ambition to “prevent populism from taking root in Irish politics.” In particular, he said, “I understand and believe the importance of the legacy left by Prime Minister Varadkar,” indicating his stance on maintaining the existing policy stance.