Irish voters looked set to have left-winger Catherine Connolly to be the country's new president, after her only rival conceded defeat Saturday in a contest marred by spoilt voting and a low turnout.

After hours of counting following Friday's ballot, Connolly was on course for a landslide victory, prompting the centrist Fine Gael party's candidate Heather Humphreys to congratulate her on "becoming the next president of Ireland".

But the outspoken independent Connolly's apparent win was marred by a record number of spoiled ballots and low turnout, as voters vent frustration at the lack of right-wing options and issues including immigration and crime.

A lawyer and a critic of both the United States and European Union, her election to a post with limited political power could nonetheless h

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