Independent candidate Catherine Connolly wins Ireland's presidential election

She decisively defeated former Fine Gael minister Heather Humphreys with a landslide victory.

Messages of congratulations have poured in from across the political spectrum for Ms Connolly after she won the contest.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin issued a statement saying he is looking forward “to working with the new president” and described her campaign as “impressive”.

From early on Saturday, Ms Connolly was ahead in count centres nationwide.

There were also a significant number of spoiled votes with anti-Government messages on them, including “no democracy”, “EU puppets” and “no from me”.

Ex-Dublin football manager Jim Gavin was previously in the race before withdrawing from campaigning three weeks ago.

However, his name sill appeared on the ballot papers as it was too late to remove it.

The winner replaces Michael D Higgins Higgins, a popular poet and former arts minister, who has served the maximum two terms in office.

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Voting slips were counted by hand from 9am at 31 count centres, representing 43 electoral constituencies, across the country.

Ireland uses a system of transferable votes in elections but – with only three candidates on the ballot – there can only be a maximum of two counts.

In the weeks before polling day, several opinion polls put Ms Connolly ahead of Ms Humphreys by some margin but the turnout is expected to be crucial to the final result.

The turnout in the 2018 presidential election, where there were six candidates, was 44%.

On Friday, Ms Connolly cast her vote in a primary school in Claddagh, Co Galway, after going for a swim that morning.

She took time after casting her vote to examine students’ essays about the presidency that were pinned to the wall and take her elderly aunt, who was in a wheelchair, into the polling station before cycling home.

Ms Humphreys cast her vote in Newbliss, Co Monaghan, with her daughter Eva and her one-year-old granddaughter Charlotte.

The third presidential candidate, Mr Gavin, created the shock moment of the election when he withdrew from campaigning in response to the emergence of a 16-year-old dispute with a former tenant.

The ex-army pilot, 54, who was best known for his role as the manager of Dublin’s record-breaking Gaelic football team, which won five successive All-Ireland Championships, withdrew from the race three weeks before polling day.

It came after a former tenant, deputy editor of the Sunday World Niall Donald, claimed he tried to recover 3,300 euros in overpaid rent from Mr Gavin.

Mr Gavin said he had made a mistake “not in keeping with my character” and repaid the money after his withdrawal.

The dramatic move has had serious implications for the Fianna Fail party, who selected him as their candidate, and for its party leader, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who championed Mr Gavin.

The president of Ireland is a largely ceremonial role which involves hosting other heads of state at the president’s official residence, Aras an Uachtarain in the Phoenix Park, and other diplomatic and civic engagements.

The Irish president must also consider whether legislation passed by the parliament complies with the constitution, and if they believe it does not, in consultation with the Council of State, they can refer it to the Supreme Court.

In recent years, the Irish presidency has become a more political role.

During his tenure, Mr Higgins has said that Ireland’s housing crisis is “our great, great failure”, that the UN is “losing credibility”, and said in 2021 that the Irish state must “urgently meet the needs of”, and address the concerns of, the survivors of mother and baby homes.