Ireland’s Varadkar to quit as PM, governing party’s leader

Ireland’s Varadkar to quit as PM, governing party’s leader

However, his departure will not trigger a general election as he could be replaced by a new leader from Fine Gael.

Leo Varadkar became Ireland’s first gay prime minister and the youngest person to hold the office in 2017. (AP pic)
DUBLIN:
Leo Varadkar will step down as Ireland’s prime minister and the leader of the governing Fine Gael party in a surprise move, Irish media reported today.

He will hold a press conference at 1200 GMT today, the government said.

Varadkar’s departure as head of the three-party coalition does not automatically trigger a general election and he could be replaced by a new Fine Gael leader.

Varadkar in 2017 became the first gay prime minister of the once-staunchly Catholic country and the youngest person to hold the office. He returned to the premiership in 2022.

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