Human rights activist and poet Michael Higgins is headed for victory in Ireland’s presidential election as the Irish picked a left-wing idealist to be the new face of a debt-struck nation.
Higgins’ main challenger, business guru and reality TV celebrity Sean Gallagher, conceded defeat on Friday in a telephone call to Higgins.
Gallagher said he expected Higgins would be, as his own campaign slogan promised, “a president to be proud of.”
Higgins, 70, was mobbed by well-wishers and journalists as he arrived at the Dublin Castle count center. Minutes later, electoral officials announced he had received 39.6 percent of all first-preference votes to take an unassailable lead atop the field of seven candidates.
“I’m very glad that it was so decisive. It will enable me to be a president for all of the people,” Higgins said of his commanding share of votes from Thursday’s election.
Final results were expected yesterday because of Ireland’s complex voting system, which permits voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Several rounds of counting are required to transfer the votes of the least popular candidates to those still in contention. Analysts say this process will inevitably put Higgins above the 50 percent threshold needed to succeed Mary McAleese as Ireland’s ceremonial head of state.
Gallagher received 28.5 percent of first-preference votes. Former Irish Republican Army commander Martin McGuinness came third with 13.7 percent.
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