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Saturday, October 25, 2025
Far-left lawmaker who said Hamas ‘part of the fabric of the Palestinian people’ set to become Irish president
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DUBLIN, Ireland — Catherine Connolly, a veteran lawmaker on the far left of the Irish political spectrum, is set to be elected the country’s next president as members of the governing parties conceded defeat.
Early tallies of votes after counting began at 0800 GMT show a wide lead for Connolly, 68, an independent candidate. She is a long-time critic of the European Union in overwhelmingly pro-EU Ireland and was far from a household name at the outset.
She has drawn criticism for her views on Hamas, which she said in September was “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people.”
She later maintained that she “utterly condemned” Hamas’ actions, while also criticizing Israel for carrying out what she said was a “genocide” in Gaza. Israel adamantly rejects the genocide accusation.
“It does appear likely that Catherine Connolly will be elected, and we now move on to the job of working with her as a government,” Higher Education Minister James Lawless, a member of the Fianna Fail party, tells national broadcaster RTE.
Ireland’s president is largely a figurehead, with seldom-used powers to test the constitutionality of legislation.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.