On Tuesday, Simon Harris became Ireland’s youngest premier at 37. He left university at 20 to work in politics, became a councillor at 22, and an MP at 24. He oversaw the nation’s response to COVID-19 throughout his time in the cabinet, which began before he reached thirty.
Harris hopes to strengthen his party’s position by possibly creating coalitions with independent candidates, given the difficulties of overturning Sinn Fein’s lead in opinion polls before the next election. Harris believes that Fine Gael is still a centrist party despite efforts to return to its centre-right positions. Though others are sceptical that he would move the party away from its current position, his past work on issues like abortion rights proves his broad range.
His ability to compromise and work within coalition frameworks will be crucial because there won’t be much time for significant policy changes. Colleagues acknowledge his willingness to work with others despite their differences in politics, which may be important in upcoming coalition talks.
In Ireland’s political climate, Harris must strike a balance between party values and the necessity of cooperation as he fulfils the duties of prime minister.
