Ireland's left-wing independent Connolly poised for presidency after rival concedes election

Left-wing independent Catherine Connolly is set to become Ireland's new president after early vote counting on Saturday indicated a landslide victory, leading her centrist rival Heather Humphreys to concede defeat. Issued on: 25/10/2025 - 16:16Modified: 25/10/2025 - 16:29 1 min Reading time Independent candidate Catherine Connolly casts her vote at the Claddagh National School in Galway on October 24, 2025. © Brian Lawless, PA via AP 's Catherine Connolly, an independent left-winger, was poised Saturday to become the country's new president after her only rival in the election conceded defeat, Irish national broadcaster RTE said. Heather Humphreys, of the centrist Fine Gael party, congratulated Connolly on "becoming the next president of Ireland" after early counting showed the latter was on course for a landslide victory. However, the election for the largely ceremonial role has been overshadowed by criticism that it lacked real choice, with tallies so far showing a record number of spoiled ballots and low turnout. The official result was expected late Saturday, with many polling stations reporting turnout below 40 percent and potentially more than one in eight voters having spoiled their ballots, according to The Irish Times newspaper. Ireland votes for new president: Left-wing independent Connolly expected to beat challenger To display this content from YouTube, you must enable tracking and audience measurement.