Catherine Connolly Elected Ireland’s 10th President in Landslide Victory

Left-backed independent wins with over 63% of first preference votes, succeeds Michael D. Higgins

London, Oct 2025 : Independent candidate Catherine Connolly has won Ireland’s presidential election in a decisive victory, securing 63.36% of first preference votes to become the country’s 10th President, according to official results released late Saturday.

The 68-year-old Galway West MP, backed by several Left-leaning parties including Sinn Féin, Labour, and the Social Democrats, defeated Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys, a former government minister, in a race that had drawn widespread public attention.

Connolly received 914,143 first preference votes, a result consistent with pre-election opinion polls that had forecast a landslide in her favour. Humphreys finished a distant second with 29.46%, conceding defeat earlier in the day and congratulating Connolly on becoming “a President for all of us.”

A third contender, Fianna Fáil–backed Jim Gavin, had withdrawn from the contest in early October following a controversy over a rental dispute, leaving the race largely between Connolly and Humphreys.

Connolly, who has represented Galway West in Parliament since 2016, is a qualified psychologist and barrister. In 2020, she became the first woman to serve as Deputy Speaker of the Dáil (Lower House) — a milestone in Irish political history.

She will officially be sworn in next month, succeeding President Michael D. Higgins, who is concluding the second of his two consecutive seven-year terms in November. Higgins, who has served 14 years in the largely ceremonial role, personally congratulated Connolly, saying, “The President-elect will have the full support of this office as she prepares for her inauguration.”

During her campaign, Connolly pledged to respect the constitutional boundaries of the presidency while promising to serve as a unifying figure for all citizens. However, political observers noted that her independent streak and history of outspoken criticism of government policies could lead to occasional friction with the ruling coalition.

Connolly began her campaign as a marginal figure when she announced her candidacy in July. Initially supported only by small Left-wing parties such as People Before Profit and the Social Democrats, her campaign gained momentum after Labour’s endorsement and Sinn Féin’s decision to back her instead of fielding its own candidate.

Although the Irish presidency is largely symbolic, Connolly’s sweeping victory is being viewed as a significant political statement, reflecting growing voter dissatisfaction with the Centre-right establishment and renewed public appetite for change.