Simon Harris is ready to take on the challenge of succeeding Leo Varadkar as leader of the Fine Gael party and government. Until now Minister of Higher Education, the thirty-year-old is preparing to be appointed Prime Minister by the Irish Parliament on April 9. 

At 37, Simon Harris will become the youngest Prime Minister in Irish history, narrowly beating the previous record set by Leo Varadkar, appointed Taoiseach – pronounced "tee-shock" (head of government) – at the age of 37. age of 38 in 2017. The latter, to everyone's surprise, announced his resignation on March 20 as head of the center-right Fine Gael party and his post as Prime Minister, believing that he was no longer the "best person " to occupy these positions, a few weeks before the European elections.

Simon Harris, anticipated by his peers and by political analysts as a future Prime Minister for a long time, is known for his "incredible work, his incredible sense of human relations" and for being "one of the most accessible people in politics Irish," said Ivan Yates, a former Fine Gael minister, reports the Financial Times.  

Nicknamed in the media "TikTok Taoiseach" due to his intensive use of social networks, Simon Harris promised to instill "energy and enthusiasm". Originally from the coastal town of Greystones, near Dublin, he also expressed his desire to bring his "real life experience". 

Early political commitment

Son of a taxi driver and a school assistant, Simon Harris became interested in public life at a very young age. When he was only 16, the young man joined the youth branch of Fine Gael. His parents' inability to find a structure for his younger brother Adam, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, pushes the teenager to found a family support association. At the age of 18, he began working as a parliamentary assistant at Leinster House, the seat of Parliament in Dublin. A year later, he abandoned his journalism and French studies at university to devote himself to politics.

Simon Harris is welcomed to the Fine Gael convention in Athlone, Ireland, on March 24, 2024, before being declared the party's leader and future de facto Prime Minister-in-waiting. © Paul Faith, AFP

He quickly rose through the ranks: elected locally at 22, he became a deputy at 24. He immediately obtained a seat on the most powerful parliamentary committee, that of public accounts. In 2014, at just 27 years old, he joined the government as Secretary of State for Finance. When Fine Gael suffered significant electoral losses in 2016, he was promoted to Minister of Health, a post he held for four years. He became a leading figure in the historic 2018 abortion referendum, arguing for a yes vote. 

Read alsoIrish women reopen the debate on abortion, 10 years after the death of Savita Halappanavar

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was praised for his communication skills but criticized for the number of deaths in retirement homes and for his occasional gaffes. Unaware that the name “Covid-19” corresponds to the year it appeared, he says: “There are 18 other coronaviruses and I don’t think we have managed to find a vaccine for any of them.” The next day, in a video shared on 

“Leo 2.0” and its 100,000 subscribers 

In the pages of the tabloids, Simon Harris' wife, Caoimhe Wade, a cardiology nurse at a children's hospital in Dublin, and their two children, are widely exposed. This is because the politician skillfully knows how to interweave the intimate aspects of his life and his political commitment on platforms like Facebook, Instagram... and especially TikTok. As he prepares to become "taoiseach", he has almost 100,000 subscribers, more than ten times those of his party's account. In his latest video, Simon Harris speaks to his supporters on camera, thanking them for their “friendship”. 

@simon_harristd

A big thank you for your support! The last few days have been a whirlwind. I just want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. It means a lot to me. If given the opportunity I will do everything I can to make the country a better place for all. #fyp #foryou #thankyou

♬ original sound - Simon Harris

In his post as Minister of Education, Simon Harris exploited the opportunity of being able to tour campuses, taking selfies with students in order to cultivate the image of a politician close to young people. Some criticize him for doing too much to attract young voters. During a lively debate in a parliamentary committee, he aroused disbelief by using the expression "Chillax" (a contraction of "chill out", relax, and "relax"). He replied that "all young people know what 'chillax' means." 

His opponents have also nicknamed him "Leo 2.0" because of his intensive use of social networks and his communication skills which, according to them, convey the same political messages as the current leader, considered disconnected from reality.

Faced with complex challenges like the housing and homelessness crises, Simon Harris will struggle to lead Fine Gael to a fourth consecutive government. With the next legislative elections scheduled for March 2025 in his sights, he will have to redouble his efforts. Fine Gael, currently in third position in the polls, was relegated four years ago far behind Sinn Fein, the main political party and former branch of the IRA (the Irish Republican Army).

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