Catherine Connolly Elected Ireland’s New President

Catherine Connolly, a left-wing independent candidate, won Ireland’s presidential election in a landslide victory on Oct. 25.

Heather Humphreys, 64, of the center-right party Fine Gael, announced her concession on Oct. 25, as vote counting was still underway. Ahead of the final result, Humphreys told reporters that she wanted “to congratulate Catherine Connolly on becoming the next president of Ireland.”

Connolly, 68, had consistently led Humphreys in polling throughout the campaign. As of the evening of Oct. 25, Connolly held more than 63 percent of first preference votes.

Humphreys received nearly 30 percent.

“I would like to congratulate Catherine Connolly on what will be a very comprehensive election victory,” Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said in a post on X.

“It is clear she will be the next President of Ireland. Catherine ran a successful and impactful campaign.”

The role of Ireland’s presidency is mostly ceremonial, with the president holding no executive or policy role and exercising formal power with the advice of Ireland’s government. Ireland’s president may refer a bill to the country’s Supreme Court, which can then rule on the bill’s constitutionality.

Ireland holds presidential elections every seven years, and a president may serve only two terms.

By contrast, Ireland’s prime minister exercises actual executive power. Ireland’s parliament nominates the country’s prime minister, while the president carries out the ceremonial task of appointing the chosen prime minister to office.

Connolly and Humphreys were the only two candidates left after candidate Jim Gavin dropped out of the race three weeks before election day.

Gavin and Martin are both members of the center-right Fianna Fáil party, and Martin had supported Gavin in the lead-up to election day.

After studying law, Connolly became a barrister in 1991. She began her political career in 1999, after winning a seat on the Galway City Council. She was elected to Ireland’s parliament as an independent candidate in 2016 and has since represented Galway West.

A coalition of left-leaning Irish political parties had supported Connolly’s bid for the presidency, including Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, and the Social Democrats.

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said Connolly’s win raises the prospect of a more left-leaning government after the next general election.

“We have seen a real appetite for the change that Catherine represents,” Bacik said.

Connolly has denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine but has also warned against what she said was European “militarization” since the start of the Ukraine conflict. She has also criticized the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel.

Connolly will succeed Michael D. Higgins, who has been president since 2011. She will be Ireland’s 10th president and the third woman to hold the post.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.