The final result after Friday's election was clear on Saturday evening. But for a long time, it had been clear that Connolly had defeated the only opponent in the election: Heather Humphreys congratulated her on her victory when the preliminary results were presented.
Connolly received 63 percent of the votes, while Humphrey got just under 30 percent, according to AFP.
Psychologist and lawyer
The 68-year-old Connolly has previously been a member of the Labour Party, but is now considered a political wild card. She is trained as a psychologist and lawyer. As a politician, she has expressed distrust of, among other things, the military alliance NATO and what she sees as the militarization of Europe. At the same time, she has condemned the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Micheál Martin congratulated her on her victory and said he looks forward to cooperation as "Ireland continues to have great importance on the global stage, as well as our presidency in the EU during the second half of 2026".
The role of president – with the title Uachtarán na hÉireann – is primarily ceremonial in Ireland, but the election of a new president has been overshadowed by criticism that there were not more than two candidates to choose from.
Low voter turnout
Voter turnout is reported to be very low, and a large number of ballots have also been declared invalid.
Opponent Humphreys belongs to the party Fine Gael, which is in the middle lane of Irish politics.
Outgoing President Michael Higgins has been president since 2011. In addition to a political background, Higgins is also known as a poet and sociologist.
