Harris To Become PM 9 Apr; Follows Uncontested Elevation To FG Head

As was widely expected, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris will become Ireland's next Taoiseach (PM) on 9 April once the lower house of the Irish Oireachtas (parliament), the Dáil Éireann (Irish Assembly) reconvenes following its Easter recess. Harris' confirmation comes after he became the new leader of the centre-right Fine Gael (FG) party over the weekend. Harris did not face any competition for the position, ensuring a swift and uncontroversial elevation following the unexpected resignation of Leo Varadkar last week.

• In terms of market implications Harris becoming head of gov't is unlikely to have any major short-term policy implications. The incumbent Fine Gael-Fianna Fail-Green coalition agreement remains in place.
• The main changes could come in the form of a reshuffle among the FG members of the Cabinet. Some reports suggest that Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney, the only individual alongside Varadkar who served in Cabinet since FG last re-entered gov't in 2011, could face removal or indeed resign ahead of time if he thinks his position is threatened.
• The Irish Times reports"Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said he hoped to remain in Cabinet [...]. Asked if it was necessary for him to stay in Cabinet to keep his role as head of the Eurogroup [...] as is widely assumed in Brussels, Mr Donohoe said he hadn’t “thought that far ahead”. He added, however, that it has been the practice for the head of the Eurogroup to be a finance minister."