Ireland - October 2025
Independent candidate Catherine Connolly wins presidential elections
On 24 October, left-wing independent Catherine Connolly secured a landslide victory in Ireland’s presidential election. Connolly took 63.4 per cent of first-preference votes, while Heather Humphreys of the ruling Fine Gael Party received 29.5 per cent. Fianna Fáil’s candidate, Jim Gavin, had withdrawn from the campaign but remained on the ballot, winning 7.2 per cent of the vote. Connolly will succeed President Michael D. Higgins of the Labour Party, who reached the constitutional two-term limit. Voter turnout increased from 43.9 in 2018 to 45.8 in these elections.
Sources: Office of Ireland’s Presidential Returning Officer, The Guardian, Reuters, International IDEA
