Ireland: Catherine Connolly wins presidential election

Catherine Connolly

Left-wing independent Catherine Connolly was on Saturday declared the winner of Ireland’s presidential election, beating her centrist opponent by a huge margin in a contest marred by spoiled ballots.

Connolly, 68, a lawyer, lawmaker and outspoken critic of both the United States and European Union, won over 63 per cent of the ballots, well ahead of centrist candidate Heather Humphreys, on 29.5 per cent.

But the seemingly comprehensive victory was marred by the number of spoiled votes and criticism over the lack of right-wing candidates, amid frustration over issues including immigration and crime.

Nearly 13 per cent of the 1.65 million ballots cast were “invalid”, a record in a modern Irish election. Punch