This presidential election has been a remarkable success for Catherine Connolly. In just three months, she has gone from being a little-known Independent TD to receiving more votes than any presidential candidate in the history of the State, and a record share of those cast. Her only active opponent, Heather Humphreys, was left trailing in her wake.
It was also a good day for the combined parties of the left. Their candidate secured almost two thirds of all valid votes, a level of support those parties could only dream of in a general election.
Connolly was fortunate in her opponents. Neither Fine Gael nor Fianna Fáil proved capable of finding a convincing candidate or mounting a credible campaign. Had either done so, the result might have been much closer. She also benefited from a sense that her presidency would represent continuity with the very popular Michael D Higgins.
Over the course of his two terms, Higgins stretched the boundaries of protocol and precedent. Four different governments chose not to challenge or restrain him, doubtless aware that he was more popular than they were.
RM Block
Will Connolly do the same? She is only the second president in the history of the State to be elected without the backing of a government party. Mary Robinson was the first, in 1990, and her arrival in Áras an Uachtaráin still reverberates through Irish political history. It remains to be seen what kind of relationship will develop now between Merrion Street and the Phoenix Park. Issues such as the Occupied Territories Bill or the Government’s plans for the triple lock may offer early clues.
Another challenge for the new president may lie in managing the expectations of her most fervent supporters, for whom her election represents a repudiation of the centrist establishment. Will they be disappointed if she chooses quiet restraint, or do they already understand that a president’s power lies mostly in symbolism and tone?
Connolly was not tested severely during her campaign. Her opponents lacked the ability to put her under real pressure. Now she must define herself in office, to show whether she can combine moral authority with political sensitivity, as her predecessor did, or whether she will chart an entirely different course.
Yet there is another story running through this election, one of disenchantment and disengagement. The extraordinarily high number of spoiled votes reflects widespread resentment at the limited choice offered to voters. While overall turnout may not have fallen from the low levels of the last contest, the number of spoiled ballots means the valid poll was smaller than ever before. That mix of anger and apathy among more than 60 per cent of voters is a warning light for Irish politics and society.
