Catherine Connolly elected as president of Ireland

Catherine Connolly has been elected as the president of Ireland after a landslide victory.

She has become the 10th president of the Republic of Ireland after defeating Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys, who had already conceded to her rival.

The result, long clear from early tallies, was officially declared at Dublin Castle.

Connolly – an independent who was backed by the major left-wing parties – pledged to be “an inclusive president for all” in her acceptance speech.

The 68-year-old, from Galway, has been a TD (member of the Irish parliament) since 2016.

She will be the country’s 10th president, taking over from Michael D Higgins who has served the maximum two terms in office

Connolly secured 914,143 first preference votes (63%), the largest amount in Irish presidential election history.

She made her acceptance speech first in Irish and then in English.

“I will be a president who listens and reflects and who speaks when it’s necessary,” she said.

“I will be a voice for peace, a voice that builds on our policy of neutrality, a voice that articulates the existential threat posed by climate change, and a voice that recognises the tremendous work being done the length and breadth of the country.”

Humphreys, who spoke after Connolly, thanked everyone who voted for her, her campaign team and Fine Gael for the nomination.

“I know Catherine will be a president for all of us. Catherine will be my president and I want to wish her well, this is her evening,” she said.

The president of Ireland is the country’s head of state. They represent the country abroad, take centre stage at major national events, and are responsible for ensuring that the constitution – the set of rules for government and politics – is followed.

While the president’s powers are limited, the office-holder’s influence can be profound.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said an “outstanding honour” had been bestowed upon Connolly.

“The people have spoken resoundingly and given Catherine a tremendous majority and a very clear mandate,” he said.

Tánaiste (Ireland’s deputy prime minister) Simon Harris said: “The great thing about this country is that we live in enduring democracy.

“We have an election, we go at it hammer and tongs and then we come together proudly behind the winner of the election.”

Earlier he acknowledged the high level of spoiled votes, saying he saw “people going to quite a lot of effort to spoil their ballot”.