The Irish began voting on Friday to elect their president, a largely ceremonial role, in a contest where the left-wing candidate, Catherine Connolly, is favored in the polls against centrist Heather Humphreys.
One of the two women will succeed Michael Higgins, 84, who has served two terms since 2011. Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. (06:00 GMT). The results are expected by the end of Saturday.
Catherine Connolly, 68, a former lawyer and independent left-wing member of parliament, is widely leading in the polls. She is supported by the main opposition parties, including the Greens and the nationalist Sinn Féin.
Her rival, Heather Humphreys, is a member of the center-right Fine Gael party, a key pillar of the governing coalition.
A third candidate, Jim Gavin, representing the centrist Fianna Fáil party, Fine Gael’s main ally in the coalition, announced his withdrawal from the race in early October.
