Ireland opened its polls on Friday to choose its next president, with Catherine Connolly, a longtime lawmaker from the far-left of the country’s political landscape, widely viewed as the frontrunner for the largely symbolic office.

The 68-year-old independent candidate, a long-time critic of the European Union in overwhelmingly pro-EU Ireland who has repeatedly denounced the bloc’s plans to boost military spending, holds a commanding lead over the sole government-backed candidate.

Her election would be a bruising rebuke to the centre-right coalition re-elected just 11 months ago and a potential future electoral boost to the previously divided left-wing opposition, led by Sinn Fein, which backed her candidacy.

Underestimated at the start of the campaign, when she was not a household n

See Full Page