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The 2024 Fine Gael leadership election followed the resignation of Leo Varadkar as party leader on 20 March 2024. [1] [2] [3] As the only candidate nominated, Simon Harris, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, was deemed elected as party leader on 24 March 2024.
Leo Varadkar was elected leader of Fine Gael in on 2 June 2017 and was appointed as Taoiseach on 14 June 2017. [4] At 38 years old he became the youngest person to hold the office, and Ireland's first openly gay head of government. [5] He later served as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022 before becoming Taoiseach again in December 2022. [6] [7]
On 8 March 2024, two referendums were held on proposed amendments to the Constitution of Ireland. Voters overwhelmingly rejected both proposed amendments, and several sources reported the referendum results as a defeat for Varadkar. [8] [9] [10]
On 20 March 2024, Varadkar announced that he would resign as Fine Gael leader immediately, and as Taoiseach once a successor was elected. [11] [12] In his resignation speech, Varadkar stated that the reasons for his stepping down were "both personal and political" and that he was no longer the "best person for the job". [13] [14] Following subsequent speculation, he "denied having any ulterior motive or a new job lined up". [15]
Nominations for the position of party leader opened at 10 a.m. on Thursday 21 March 2024 and closed at 1 p.m. on Sunday 24 March 2024, [16] [17] [18] [19] having been "brought forward [...] by 24 hours" and with Simon Harris as the only candidate. [20]
While, after Varadkar's resignation, there had been initial media speculation about other potential candidates, [21] [22] [23] Harris was the only candidate to seek the nomination or receive endorsement. [19] He was deemed elected as leader on the close of nominations on Sunday 24 March 2024. [19]
Had there been other candidates, the party's constitution provided for voting based on an "electoral college" model, with voting by the Fine Gael parliamentary party (65% of votes), ordinary party members (25%) and Fine Gael local representatives (10%). [24] [25]
Fine Gael is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann and largest in terms of Irish members of the European Parliament. The party had a membership of 25,000 in 2021. Simon Harris succeeded Leo Varadkar as party leader on 24 March 2024.
Richard Bruton is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin Bay North since 2016, and previously from 1982 to 2016 for the Dublin North-Central constituency. He was the Chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party from July 2020 to September 2023. He previously served as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment from 2018 to 2020, Minister for Education and Skills from 2016 to 2018, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation from 2011 to 2016, Deputy leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2010, Minister for Enterprise and Employment from 1994 to 1997 and Minister of State for Energy Affairs from 1986 to 1987. He was a Senator for the Agricultural Panel from 1981 to 1982.
Simon Coveney is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 2022 to 2024. He served as deputy leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. He has been in the cabinet since 2011, holding a range of ministerial portfolios, including as Tánaiste from 2017 to 2020.
Frances Fitzgerald is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency since July 2019. She is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party. She previously served as Tánaiste from 2016 to 2017, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation from June 2017 to November 2017, Minister for Justice and Equality from 2014 to 2016, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from 2011 to 2014 and Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad from 2007 to 2011. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1992 to 2002 and 2011 to 2019. She was also a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2007 to 2011.
Leo Eric Varadkar is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A TD for the Dublin West constituency since 2007, he has held a range of other ministerial positions in the Irish government. His political stances have been described as centre-right economically; he has advocated free markets, lower taxes, and welfare reform. On social issues, he supported successful constitutional referendums to legalise same-sex marriage and to liberalise Ireland's abortion laws.
Kieran O'Donnell is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Minister of State since December 2022. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since the 2020 general election, and previously from 2011 to 2016 and from 2007 to 2011 for the Limerick East constituency. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Transport and Communications Networks in September 2020. He was a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel from 2016 to 2020.
Fine Gael is a political party in Ireland, formed in 1933 as a merger of Cumann na nGaedheal, the National Centre Party, and the Blueshirts.
Simon Harris is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024. A TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he has served as a minister in the government of Ireland since 2016 and formerly served as a minister of state from 2014 to 2016.
Heather Humphreys is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served in various cabinet positions since 2014, currently serving as Minister for Rural and Community Development and Minister for Social Protection since June 2020. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency since 2011. She has served as Deputy leader of Fine Gael since 2024.
Helen McEntee is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Justice since June 2020, although her portfolio was temporarily reassigned during two six-month periods of maternity leave in 2021 and 2022–23. A Teachta Dála (TD) for the Meath East constituency since 2013, she previously served as a minister of state from 2016 to 2020.
The 32nd Dáil was elected at the 2016 general election on 26 February and first met at 10.30 a.m. on 10 March 2016. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. The 32nd Dáil was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on 14 January 2020, at the request of the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The 32nd Dáil lasted 1,406 days.
Kate O'Connell is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency from 2016 to 2020. During her time in the Dáil, O'Connell campaigned in favour of abortion rights as well as pushing for more funding for healthcare services in Ireland.
Peter Burke is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since 2024. He served as Minister of State for European Affairs and Minister of State at the Department of Defence from 2022 to 2024. He served as Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage from 2020 to 2022. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Longford–Westmeath constituency since 2016.
The 2020 Irish general election took place on Saturday 8 February, to elect the 33rd Dáil, the lower house of Ireland's parliament. The election was called following the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil by the president, at the request of the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, on 14 January 2020. The members, Teachtaí Dála (TDs), were elected by single transferable vote in multi-seat constituencies. It was the first election since 1918 to be held on a weekend.
The events surrounding the formation of Ireland's government in 2016 took place during March, April and May of that year, following the general election held on 26 February, which failed to produce an overall majority for any of the country's outgoing political alliances and resulted in a hung parliament.
Neale Richmond is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister of State since 2023. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Rathdown constituency since the 2020 general election. He previously served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2016 to 2020.
Events during the year 2017 in Ireland.
The 2017 Fine Gael leadership election was triggered in May 2017, when Enda Kenny resigned as leader of Fine Gael. Voting began by members of Fine Gael and Young Fine Gael on 29 May 2017. On 2 June Leo Varadkar was announced as the victor, beating rival Simon Coveney. With Fine Gael being the governing party at the time, this election effectively selected a new Taoiseach for Ireland.
The Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland is an amendment to the Constitution of Ireland which permits the Oireachtas to legislate for abortion. The constitution had previously prohibited abortion unless there was a serious risk to the life of the mother.
There have been three governments of the 33rd Dáil to date, being coalition governments of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. This followed the 2020 general election to Dáil Éireann held on 8 February, and negotiations on a programme for government that lasted till June. The parties agreed on a rotation, with the two major party leaders alternating as Taoiseach. The makeup of the parties resulted in a centrist coalition. It was the first time that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have participated in the same government, which Leo Varadkar described as the end of what has often been referred to as Civil War politics.
Votes will be weighted in accordance with the Fine Gael electoral college voting system rules, with the 54 members of the parliamentary party accounting for 65 per cent of the total vote, 20,000 party members accounting for 25 per cent, and 249 local representatives [..] accounting for the remaining 10 per cent
