2018 Irish presidential election
The 2018 Irish presidential election took place on Friday, 26 October, between 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 p.m. President Michael D. Higgins, who was elected in 2011 with the support of the Labour Party, was seeking re-election to a second term as an Independent. This was the first time since the 1966 election that an incumbent president faced a contest for a second term. Higgins was re-elected on the first count with nearly 56% of the vote, becoming the first president since Éamon de Valera to win a second term in a contested election. He was inaugurated for his second term on 11 November.
Image: President Higgins's visit FINIRISH BATT HQ, Lebanon (cropped)
Image: Peter casey
Image: Seán Gallagher portrait
Image: Liadh Ní Riada MLA Oct 2018 (close cropped)
The president of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.
President of Ireland
Áras an Uachtaráin is the official residence of the president.
The Inauguration of Seán T. O'Kelly in 1945. The 2nd Cavalry Squadron of the Blue Hussars escort the president, who travelled in the late Queen Alexandra's landau. The Landau and the Hussars were later scrapped.
The president's wreath (in green) laid at Ireland's Remembrance Day ceremonies in St. Patrick's Cathedral in 2005. Presidents have attended the ceremony since the 1990s.