Independent candidate Catherine Connolly, a former barrister and outspoken critic of EU and NATO policies, won the race for President of Ireland after her only opponent, Heather Humphreys, of the center-right party Fine Gael, conceded the election. Coverage of her campaign noted her success was largely due to her social media presence and that she had captured the youth vote. Although an Independent, the 68-year-old former Mayor of Galway was supported by major left-wing parties, primarily Sinn Fein, Labour, and the Social Democrats, reported RT.
“During the campaign, she emphasized Irish neutrality and criticized the EU’s push to expand militarization at the expense of social welfare. While critical of Russia in the Ukraine conflict, she has argued that NATO ‘warmongering’ played a role in the crisis.
Last month, Connolly compared Germany’s push to boost its economy by ‘championing the cause of the military-industrial complex’ to its rearmament in the 1930s under the Nazis. ‘Seems to me, there are some parallels with the ‘30s,’ she said at a discussion at University College Dublin,” noted RT.
