Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris listens to a question, during a press conference at the City North Hotel, Co Meath, following his announcement he will run to become Fine Gael leader, in Co, Meath, Ireland, Friday March 22, 2024. Ireland is poised to get its youngest-ever premier after Simon Harris secured the leadership of the Fine Gael party on Sunday, March 24, 2024. He replaces Leo Varadkar who announced his surprise resignation on Wednesday.
Harris won a series of endorsements from within the Fine Gael parliamentary party and is expected to be formally elected premier in the Irish parliament in April after lawmakers return from their Easter break. “I think he’s done a really good job in securing the leadership in as comprehensive a way as he has,” Fine Gael deputy leader Simon Coveney said.
Harris has said that he would remain fully committed to the program for government agreed upon with coalition partners Fianna Fail and the Green Party. He has stopped short of ruling out a general election this year, but insisted such a poll was not his priority.Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says he’s quitting for personal and political reasonsHe was the country’s youngest-ever leader when first elected at age 38, as well as Ireland’s first openly gay prime minister.