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 fortify the relationship between India and Ireland.
In a social media post, PM Modi stated, "Heartiest congratulations to @SimonHarrisTD on becoming the youngest Prime Minister of Ireland. We greatly appreciate our historical ties rooted in shared democratic values. Eager to collaborate and further enhance the India-Ireland bilateral partnership."
PM Modi's congratulatory message followed the parliamentary selection of Simon Harris, the youngest-ever Irish Prime Minister, to succeed Leo Varadkar, who unexpectedly resigned last month, as reported by Al Jazeera. Harris' nomination was approved with an 88-69 vote, having received the support of the Green Party and Fianna Fail, two of his coalition allies.
Following the surprising resignation of former Ireland PM 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 leader of the center-right Fine Gael party last month unopposed.
"I accept this nomination to serve as Taoiseach [prime minister]," Harris said, according to Al Jazeera. "I pledge to do everything in my power to honor the trust you have placed in me," he added.
Acknowledging the coalition partners in his new administration who supported his candidacy, Harris expressed his intention to lead "in the spirit of unity, collaboration, and mutual respect."
During a party conference over the weekend, Harris pledged to rejuvenate and 'reset' his party, steering it back towards 'core values' such as promoting law and order, business, and agriculture, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Harris joined Fine Gael's youth branch at the age of 16 and quickly rose through the ranks. He was elected to parliament in 2011 at the age of 24, after serving as a county councilor at the age of 22.
He was known as the "Baby of the Dail" (the Irish parliament) as he was the youngest member at the time. At 29, he was appointed minister of health in 2016 and minister of higher education in 2020.
Despite spending most of his adult life in parliament, Harris has portrayed himself as an "accidental politician," as reported by Al Jazeera. Before Harris, Leo Varadkar was the country's youngest-ever leader when first elected at age 38, as well as Ireland's first openly gay prime minister.
