Independent candidate Catherine Connolly will be the next President of Ireland, as her only rival in the election, Heather Humphreys, conceded defeat on Saturday, reports the Irish national broadcaster RTE citing AFP.
The candidate of the center-right party "Fine Gael" Humphreys congratulated Connolly on her victory when initial results from the vote counting after the elections held on Friday showed that Connolly is confidently leading.
However, the elections were marred by criticism over the lack of real choice, and preliminary data indicate a record number of spoiled ballots and low voter turnout.
Connolly will succeed Michael Higgins as president, who could no longer run for re-election as he has already held the position twice, which is the maximum number of terms allowed by law.
The 68-year-old Connolly describes herself as a voice of peace and unity. She previously worked as a psychologist and lawyer. She is supported by the Irish republican party "Sinn Féin", the Social Democrats, Labour, and other left-wing parties. She advocates for Ireland's military neutrality and criticizes the U.S. military presence at Shannon Airport.
More than 3.6 million people were eligible to vote in the elections. The ballot also included the name of a third candidate — Jim Gavin, a representative of the center-right party "Fianna Fáil". Formally, he remained a candidate, although he announced several weeks ago that he was withdrawing from the race after it became known that he owed thousands of euros to his former landlord.
These were the first presidential elections since 1973 in which the Irish had to choose between two candidates, excluding Gavin.
Although the presidency of Ireland is largely considered ceremonial, it has important duties — in particular, the president must express their opinion on the constitutionality of proposed bills before they are signed.
The presidential term is seven years, and one person can hold the position for no more than two terms.
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