May congratulates Higgins on victory

The re-election of Michael D Higgins as president of Ireland has drawn international reaction following his decisive victory.

Mr Higgins received 822,566 votes, 56 per cent of the total poll to secure another seven years in Áras an Uachtaráin. It is the highest vote ever in any of the eight presidential elections in the history of the State.

The New York Times said Ireland’s “leftist president easily won a second term “despite a late surge by a former reality show celebrity [Peter Casey] whose support soared after he criticised an ethnic minority group [Travellers]”.

Under the headline “Michael D Higgins is re-elected as Irish president for a second term”, the BBC noted Mr Higgins was the first incumbent in 50 years to face a challenge in his bid for a second term - and that turnout in the election was poor in many parts of the country.

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Meanwhile, in the North, the Belfast Telegraph ran with the headline “I will be a president for all, declares Michael D Higgins” and reports the president said he accepted his mandate for the next seven years “with humility, determination and excitement”.

On Twitter, British prime minister Theresa May congratulated Mr Higgins on his victory and said she “looked forward to continuing to build on the close and unique ties between our countries in the years ahead”.

Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis tweeted that Irish people were “exceedingly lucky” to have Higgins as president, adding: “he is the nearest we have to a Philosopher-President combining remarkable erudition with the realistic humanism progressive politics so desperately needs today.”