On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to Simon Harris for becoming the youngest Prime Minister of Ireland. PM Modi expressed his anticipation to collaborate and enhance the relationship between India and Ireland.
In a post on X, PM Modi expressed “Congratulations @SimonHarrisTD on becoming youngest ever Prime Minister of Ireland. Highly value our historical ties that are based on shared belief in democratic values. Looking forward to work together to further strengthen India- Ireland bilateral partnership.”
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Congratulations @SimonHarrisTD on becoming youngest ever Prime Minister of Ireland. Highly value our historical ties that are based on shared belief in democratic values. Looking forward to work together to further strengthen India- Ireland bilateral partnership.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 10, 2024
PM Modi extended his congratulations after Simon Harris, the youngest Prime Minister in Irish history, was selected by the parliament on Monday to succeed Leo Varadkar, who had unexpectedly resigned last month, as reported by Al Jazeera. His nomination was confirmed with an 88-69 vote, securing the support of the Green Party and Fianna Fáil, two allies within his coalition.
Days following the unexpected resignation of former Irish Prime Minister Varadkar, the 37-year-old ex-minister of health and higher education, renowned for leading Ireland’s initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic, was elected as the leader of the center-right Fine Gael party last month unopposed.
“I do accept this nomination to serve as taoiseach [prime minister],” declared Harris, as reported by Al Jazeera. “I commit to doing everything that I can to honour the trust that you have placed in me,” he further stated.
Acknowledging the coalition partners who supported his candidacy in the new administration, Harris expressed his intention to govern, “in the spirit of unity, collaboration, and mutual respect.” During a party conference this past weekend, Harris pledged to revitalize and ‘reset’ his party, steering it back to its ‘core values’ which include promoting law and order, business, and agriculture, as reported by Al Jazeera.
At 16, Harris joined the youth wing of Fine Gael and quickly climbed the ranks. By 24, he was elected to parliament, after serving as a county councilor at 22. He earned the nickname “Baby of the Dáil” as the youngest member at that time. At 29, he became the minister of health in 2016 and later the minister of higher education in 2020.
Despite his extensive career in parliament, Harris has described himself as an “accidental politician,” according to Al Jazeera. Before Harris, Leo Varadkar made history as the country’s youngest leader at 38 and as Ireland’s first openly gay prime minister.