Simon Harris becomes Ireland’s youngest-ever leader
(CNN) — Simon Harris has become the youngest-ever prime minister of Ireland, officially taking office in Dublin on Tuesday after Leo Varadkar suddenly stepped down last month.
Posted — UpdatedHarris, 37, ran unopposed to replace Varadkar as leader of the ruling Fine Gael party, and the final formalities of his rise to power were completed in the Dáil, Ireland’s parliament.
He has held a number of government positions since being earmarked as a rising political star in his late 20s, most recently serving as the minister for higher education and science.
But Harris faces a daunting political challenge in the coming months; a general election in Ireland must be held by late March 2025, and Fine Gael is trailing in opinion polls to the Irish republican group Sinn Fein, which was once the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Varadkar led a charge to liberalize some of Ireland’s socially conservative laws, most notably easing the country’s strict anti-abortion mandates.
But his government faced backlash over Ireland’s housing crisis and soaring immigration numbers.
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