Irish Minister Simon Harris. File
| Photo Credit: VIA REUTERS
Simon Harris, set to become Ireland’s youngest ever taoiseach (Prime Minister), will hope his social media skills and fresh face can save his party’s flagging fortunes as elections loom.
Already dubbed by media the “TikTok Taoiseach” (pronounced “Tee-shock”), the 37-year-old beats the previous record holder, predecessor Leo Varadkar, who was 38 when he took the top job in 2017.
After Mr. Varadkar’s shock resignation on Wednesday, Mr. Harris leapt from the blocks in the race for leader of the centre-right Fine Gael party and by default Prime Minister.
By Thursday lunchtime he had secured endorsements by a majority of party colleagues, prompting rivals to rule themselves out — and effectively ending the leadership contest before it had even begun.
With no other candidates expected to emerge before nominations close on Monday, pundits described Mr. Harris’s apparent uncontested procession to the leadership as a ‘coronation’.
“I’m in, I’m ready to step up, and I’m ready to serve,” he told the public broadcaster RTE’s evening news programme after officially announcing his candidacy.
Harris’s inevitable election as taoiseach when the Dail (Irish Parliament) returns from recess on April 9 crowns a meteoric ascent.
Mr. Harris’s prominence on social media especially TikTok has made him one of the most visible politicians in Ireland.
With 1.4 million “likes” on TikTok, and hundreds of thousands of followers on both X and Instagram, he posts content almost daily to his audience.
With his youth and slick communication skills his opponents jibe that he is “Leo 2.0”.
