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File Photo: Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris speaks to reporters after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 9, 2024.
Ireland preps for an election sprint
Thankfully, not every election campaign lasts for two years. On Tuesday, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said he will call aparliamentary election later this week, and the vote will likely be held on or about Nov. 29.
The timing comes as no surprise. Last month, Harris’ government gave voters a package of tax cuts and new spending that totals more than 10 billion euros, andFine Gael, his center-right party, is now polling in first place. It’s also important thatFianna Fail, his coalition partner, is now polling in second place.
When Irish voters have gone to the polls in recent years, the popularity of Sinn Fein, Ireland’s main opposition and a nationalist party with historic ties to the Irish Republican Army, a terrorist group, has been the focus of poll and election analysis. For now,Sinn Fein is polling in third place, but election campaigns can quickly shake up the political dynamic. In recent years, Sinn Fein’s leadership has played down the issue of reunification with Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, to focus its message instead on economic and healthcare issues.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar leaves after speaking to the media at Government Buildings in Dublin, he has announced he is to step down as Taoiseach and as leader of his party, Fine Gael. Picture date: Wednesday March 20, 2024.
Irish PM steps down
Leo Varadkar announced Wednesday that he will step down as Ireland’s Taoiseach, aka prime minister, after leading coalition governments twice – for five of the past seven years. When he came to power in 2017, he was Ireland’s youngest-ever and first openly gay Taoiseach, and the country’s first leader from an Indian background.
Echoing similar sentiments to other young leaders who have stepped down, likeSanna Marin andJacinda Ardern, the former physician cited both personal and political reasons for leaving office.
“One part of leadership is knowing when the time has come to pass on the baton to somebody else,” Varadkar said. “Politicians are human beings, and we have our limitations.”
During his political career, Varadkar pioneered some progressive policies in one of the most socially conservative countries in Europe. As minister of health, he advocated for the legalization of same-sex marriage ahead of the successful 2015 referendum, and while he was PM, Ireland repealed a strict abortion ban in 2018.
But recently, Varadkar’s government suffered an embarrassing defeat in two referendums aimed at modernizing the constitution’s definition of a family and the role of women at home. The largest referendum defeat in the country’s history is being blamed on lackluster, confusing messaging from Varadkar’s “yes” campaign and an energized coalition of dissatisfied “no” voters from across the political spectrum.
Varadkar’s resignation – which will not trigger a general election – will take place once his party chooses his replacement. But a general election must be held before March 2025, and his governing coalition is expected to suffer heavy losses against the nationalist Sinn Fein party.
For Varadkar, saying (a not-so-Irish) goodbye may be easier than facing the public once again.