Dáil votes in favour of Simon Harris becoming Taoiseach

Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has been nominated for appointment by the President to become the 16^th Taoiseach of Ireland, following a roll call vote during a Dáil sitting this morning.

"I commit to doing everything that I can to honour the trust placed in me today," Harris told the Dáil following the vote.

“This is a time of great challenge. It’s a time in the world where leadership matters. In Ukraine we see brave and courageous people standing firm against unprovoked foreign aggression. In Gaza, we are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe and we are seeing innocent children women and men being starved and slaughtered.

"I sincerely promise to be a Taoiseach for all, no matter your political persuasion. I will work with you and for you and for the country that I know we all love. Fueled by hope and driven by a vision of a better Ireland, I will provide a new leadership and a new energy. I intend to act decisively in the best interest of our people."

Harris also thanked former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, for his "incredible service when dealing with some of the biggest challenges of our time," as well as Simon Coveney, whom he acknowledged for his "contribution to Ireland", referencing the former Minister's work during the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit.

Nomination proceedings began this morning with a speech from Leo Varadkar, who visited Áras an Uachtarán yesterday evening to hand in his resignation to President Michael D. Higgins.

During his speech, Varadkar stated that he “always knew” that Simon Harris would become Taoiseach.

The former Fine Gael leader also described his tenure as Ireland’s leader as  “the most rewarding and fulfilling” time of his life, taking time to praise the work of the three-party coalition.

Elsewhere, Tánaiste Michael Martin pledged Fianna Fáil’s support to Harris’ nomination, criticising opposition who called the Wicklow native’s election into question.

“It is an unfortunate reality that much of the opposition has committed itself to a type of politics which is obsessed with fake outrage and attacking,”  said Martin, adding that recent calls for a general election were absurd.

Among the critics was Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who claimed that the people of Ireland deserve “so much better”.

“You pass the keys to the Taoiseach’s office one more time,” she said. “But let’s be very clear about what’s happening today. This isn’t about what’s good for Ireland, this isn’t about what’s good for the people. It’s about what’s good for you.”

These sentiments were echoed by the leaders of the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and Aontú, as well a string of successive independents, with Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae suggesting his brother Michael Healy-Rae TD as an alternative Taoiseach to Simon harris.

#Vótáil - Dáil Éireann nominates Deputy Simon Harris for appointment by the President to be Taoiseach - Members will now vote on the nomination by a roll call vote #SeeForYourself #Taoiseachhttps://t.co/ZzUlAb096e https://t.co/gWFmlh1Q0U

— Houses of the Oireachtas - Tithe an Oireachtais (@OireachtasNews) April 9, 2024

First elected as a TD for Wicklow in 2011, Harris was appointed to the top junior ministerial position, Minister of State at the Department of Finance, in 2014.

In 2016 he was made Minister for Health, notably serving during the Covid-19 pandemic, before being appointed as Minister for Further and Higher Education in 2020.

“I know, in many ways, my career has been a bit odd,” he acknowledged, during an interview with Hot Press’ Lucy O’Toole in 2022.

“I was a County Councillor at 22. I was a TD at 24. I was a Junior Minister at 27. I was the Health Minister at 29. Life came at me a lot faster than I expected it to.”

“I work for everybody in my country – those who vote for me, those who don’t – to the best of my ability,” he added, in a later interview with Molly Cantwell.

“But I do think it’s really important that my party recognise and is honest about the need to renew the social contract, particularly with younger citizens.

“There’s a whole generation, of which I’m a part, that are still bearing the scars and paying the cost of the mistakes that were made by previous generations in terms of the economy.

“I do think a question people are rightly going to ask at the next election is this: the country’s going reasonably well now, with full employment, and an economic surplus – so what are you going to do with that now, to make it work for me, to make it work for my family? I think that’s a fair challenge.”