Ireland votes left. Catherine Connolly is the new president

Brussels – Catherine Connolly did not win; she won in a landslide to become President of the Republic of Ireland. The independent candidate, backed by left-wing parties, dominated the vote. The result left no doubt: Connolly secured 63 percent of the votes, more than double the 29 percent of her opponent, Heather Humphreys. Voter turnout was lower than usual, however, with only 46 percent of eligible voters casting their ballots.

In her inaugural speech, Connolly outlined the cardinal points of her mandate: “I will be a voice for peace, a voice that builds on our policy of neutrality, a voice that expresses the existential threat from climate change. Together, we can shape a new republic that values all, one that promotes diversity and has confidence in our identity.” Her victory is a strong signal to the center-right government.

I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate Irish President Elect Catherine Connolly a progressive thinker who has beaten the tide of right wing populism. She didn’t just win, she won by an ACTUAL landslide.

I have long said, as did the late great John Lewis, that women…  —  pic.twitter.com/C3S9YiGw8U – (@politicsusa46) October 26, 2025

Connolly has given a voice to the dissatisfied, affected by the prohibitive cost of living and the housing crisis. Her electoral success was made possible by unprecedented unity on the left, which supported her candidacy from the start. The approach was different, however, on the right, where internal splits within the coalition composed of the Fine Gael party and its government partner, Fianna Fáil, conditioned the race. They proposed the institutional figure of Heather Humphreys late, after other candidates withdrew. 

Although legitimized by popular vote, the new president, Catherine Connolly, will play an almost entirely symbolic role, exercising a function similar to that of the head of state in Italy. This does not detract from the political decision of the Irish: only a year ago, they had elected a center-right parliament, but a few months later, the scenario was reversed. The victory of a president who positions herself on the left, perhaps more to the left than the very parties that supported her, is unique in a Europe that increasingly chooses the right. A sign that in the far west of the Union, something is changing.