Barring a huge surprise, 37-year-old Simon Harris is set to become the Republic of Ireland's youngest-ever leader on Tuesday, April 9. Designated leader of the centrist Fine Gael party at the end of March, he is expected to be elected taoiseach (prime minister) in a vote at the Dáil Eireann, the country's parliament. He will replace his 45-year-old colleague Leo Varadkar who announced his departure on March 20, vaguely citing "personal and political reasons."
Harris would head a coalition government with the Greens and Fianna Fáil, Ireland's other centrist party. However, the mandate of this effective communicator, renowned for his attention to detail, promises to be complicated. His party is on its last legs after 13 years in power, and he faces a series of important electoral tests in the near future: local elections in May, European elections in June and the Irish general election by February 2025.
Born in Greystones, a coastal town south of Dublin, Harris came from humble beginnings, the son of a cab driver and a special needs teacher. As a teenager, he engaged in political activism to promote the improved integration of individuals with neurological conditions (his younger brother was diagnosed with autism). After brief studies in French and journalism, the fast-talking young man quickly climbed the Fine Gael ladder, first as a parliamentary assistant and then as an MP. He was elected to the Dáil Eireann in 2011, at the age of 25.
He was appointed minister of health in 2016. Holding a challenging position, he campaigned for the legalization of abortion, which was adopted in 2018. However, his record remained mixed as he failed to reform a health system that was understaffed and overwhelmed by demand. After the 2020 elections, which signaled the end of the domination of his party, Fine Gael, and Fianna Fáil, in favor of the reunification nationalist party Sinn Féin, Harris reclaimed the post of higher education minister. "He took advantage of this less exposed position to build up his network," explained Tomas Finn, a political scientist specializing in Irish political history at the University of Galway.
His lobbying paid off. He won the Fine Gael leadership without an internal primary, following the announcement of Varadkar's departure. "He's acutely and almost obsessionally ambitious," said Shane Ross, an ex-Fine Gael minister who has known Harris since he joined the Dáil Eireann, in the Guardian. However, Tomas Finn believes that this fast-rising politician, who is very comfortable on social media, has yet to be truly "tested," and that Irish commentators have little idea of his political convictions.
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