37-Year-Old Harris Expected to Become Ireland's New Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education

Confirmed Leader of the Tongil Island Party

Simon Harris, Ireland's Minister for Higher Education (37), was confirmed as the leader of the ruling party, Fianna F?il, on the 24th (local time).

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

According to dpa and AFP reports, the party's executive committee unanimously confirmed Minister Harris, the sole candidate, as the party leader. Accordingly, Minister Harris is scheduled to be officially elected as Prime Minister in parliament on the 9th of next month, after the Easter recess. If he assumes the prime ministership, he will become the youngest Prime Minister in Irish history.

Born in 1986, Minister Harris joined Fianna F?il at the age of 16. He was elected as a local councilor at 22 and as a member of the lower house at 24, earning the nickname "baby of the Irish parliament." In 2014, at the age of 27, he joined the cabinet as a minister in the Department of Finance. From 2016 to mid-2020, he served as Minister for Health, overseeing the initial response to COVID-19. He then served as Minister for Justice and is currently the Minister for Education. Minister Harris is known for actively communicating with young voters through social media (SNS). Opponents in parliament sometimes call him the "TikTok Prime Minister."

Immediately after being appointed party leader, Minister Harris said in a speech, "This is the absolute honor of my life," emphasizing that "this is a moment for our party to reconnect with the people."

Meanwhile, the ruling party elected a new leader following the resignation announcement by current Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. He resigned from the party leadership on the 20th and stated he would step down from the prime ministership after a successor is chosen.