Ireland elects left-wing independent president

Left-wing independent Catherine Connolly, who secured the backing of Ireland's left-leaning parties including Sinn Fein, has won the country’s presidential election in a landslide victory against her center-right rival.

- BY SYLVIA HUI

Official results showed strong voter support for Connolly as president, a largely ceremonial role in Ireland. She won 63% of first-preference votes once spoiled votes were excluded, compared with 29% of her rival Heather Humphreys of the center-right party Fine Gael.

Connolly, 68, said Saturday evening at Dublin Castle that she would champion diversity and be a voice for peace and one that “builds on our policy of neutrality.”

“I would be an inclusive president for all of you, and I regard it as an absolute honor,” she said.

Humphreys conceded earlier Saturday before vote counting had finished.

Connolly, a former barrister who served as a lawmaker since 2016, has been outspoken in criticizing Israel over the war in Gaza. She has also warned against what she called the European Union’s growing “militarization” since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ireland has a tradition of military neutrality, but her critics have said she risks alienating the country’s allies.