Simon Harris Elected As Ireland's 16th Taoiseach
Simon Harris has been elected as the 16th Taoiseach in the history of the state.
He was nominated as Taoiseach by the Dáil with a majority vote of 88 to 69 after he was proposed by Fine Gael and supported by Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and a number of independents.
Before the vote was held, opposition parties and independent groups voiced their opposition to the change in leader and continued their calls for an election.
Speaking during the debate, Tánaiste Micheál Martin confirmed he would be backing the new Fine Gael leader – and had a dig at Sinn Féin in the process.
“While [Sinn Féin] is attacking the democratic legitimacy of this vote, it has a unique record of privately appointing and replacing leaders without ever holding an internal election let alone a public one," he said.
Opposition parties warned that Mr Harris will mean more of the same old, same old – and said a general election should be called without delay.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said Deputy Harris had failed his way to the top.
“Out there in the real world, the experience I, if you fail and fail again, you get your P45; however, in this government it seems you can fail your way to the very top,” she said.
Minister Harris will now make his way out of Leinster House towards the plinth where he will get into a car and make his way to Áras an Uachtaráin to get his seal of office from President Michael D Higgins
