Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has surprisingly announced his resignation. He will resign from office and also give up the leadership of the Fine Gael party as soon as a successor has been chosen.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation. The liberal-conservative politician said in Dublin that he would resign as soon as a successor was found. He is also resigning as leader of his Fine Gael party.
“After seven years in office, I think I'm no longer the right person for this,” Varadkar said. The move is considered a big surprise; he cited “personal and political reasons.”
The 45-year-old has not yet commented on his own future. He doesn't have any precise plans. There was speculation that Varadkar would seek a position in the EU Commission after the European elections.
Election after the Easter break
He is proud to have contributed to making the EU country more modern and more equal. There is no good time to resign, but now is a better time than usual. The budget has been approved and relations with the United Kingdom have improved after the Brexit disputes, Varadkar said in an emotional statement. The party should elect a new leader and thus a new Prime Minister after the Easter break.
Defeat in two referendums
The cabinet met on Wednesday morning for the first time since the crushing defeat in two referendums on the role of families. A majority of people in Ireland rejected constitutional changes that were intended to modernize wording on the role of women in the household and the family. The government found the passages to be outdated and sexist and recommended the changes.
The liberal-bourgeois party Fine Gael has governed in a coalition with the liberal-conservative party Fianna Fail since 2020. Its chairman Michéal Martin replaced Varadkar as head of government halfway through the legislative period. The aim of the two popular parties was to use the regulation to prevent the Irish republican party Sinn Fein, which was previously considered the political arm of the terrorist group IRA, from participating in government.
