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Ireland to elect new president

24 October 2025 01:23 (UTC +04:00)

Presidential elections will be held in Ireland on Friday, October 24, APA reports.

Polling stations will open at 7:00 AM and remain open until 10:00 PM.

Two women are vying for the highest government post, which is largely ceremonial and representative in nature: 68-year-old Catherine Connolly and 62-year-old Heather Humphrys. Connolly is an independent candidate, but she is supported by the nationalist party Sinn Féin and left-wing political forces. Humphrys is nominated by the centrist Fine Gael (FG), which is part of the governing coalition with Fianna Fóil (FF). Jim Gavin (FF) was also on the ballot, but he withdrew his candidacy in October due to errors and a financial scandal.

Thus, the presidential race is facing the smallest number of candidates since 1973. There's little intrigue about the winner either. According to an opinion poll published on October 16 by The Irish Times , Connolly is the clear favorite, with 38% of respondents ready to support her. Twenty percent of respondents intend to vote for Humphries, while 5% continue to support Gavin. Twelve percent said they won't vote at all, and 6% promised to go to the polls and spoil their ballot. Forty-nine percent of respondents admitted that neither candidate represents their interests. In response, the British newspaper The Guardian wrote about concerns about low turnout after a "lackluster election campaign."