FINE Gael leader Simon Harris has become Ireland’s youngest Taoiseach.
The 37-year-old’s appointment was confirmed during a ceremony with president Michael D Higgins at his official residence at Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin.
President Higgins signed the Warrant of Appointment and handed the Seal of the Taoiseach and the Seal of Government to Harris.
The ceremony came after the Dail parliament backed his nomination to become the country’s new premier by 88 votes to 69.
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Harris, a father-of-two, has become Ireland’s 15th Taoiseach after the surprise resignation of Leo Varadkar as Fine Gael leader three weeks ago.
Varadkar formally resigned at an audience with Higgins on Monday evening, paving the way for Harris’s election on Tuesday.
The Wicklow TD’s wife Caoimhe and young children Saoirse and Cillian were in the public gallery of the Dail for proceedings, as were his parents Mary and Bart and brother Adam and sister Gemma.
Harris has assumed the lead of the Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green Party coalition government with less than a year to run before a general election must be called.
Government TDs rose to applaud as the outcome of the vote was announced, and later cheered and hugged Harris as he emerged from the parliament building at Leinster House in central Dublin ahead of his trip to see the president.
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