Poet, politician and activist elected as Ireland's next president

[FarCenter]

Ireland has chosen a poet, human rights campaigner and Labour Party politician as its ninth president.

Michael D. Higgins, a former culture minister from the country's junior coalition partner, won victory over a reality TV judge and an ex-IRA commander.

Higgins won a 56.8 percent share of votes.

His biggest rival, businessman and TV personality Sean Gallagher, came second. Ex-guerilla fighter Martin McGuiness from the Sinn Fein opposition party was in third place.

The campaign was full of personal mud-slinging between Higgins' two opponents. Higgins himself was not involved.

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The post of president in Ireland is a mostly ceremonial one. The president is elected for seven years and can serve a maximum of two terms.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15497878,00.html