On Wednesday, Leo Varadkar announced that he would step down from his position as Ireland’s Prime Minister in a surprise statement. He continued by stating that the country’s coalition government would have improved reelection chances under different leadership.
Varadkar stated that he has requested his political party, the Fine Gael party, to elect a new leader. This comes just before the party’s annual conference occurring on April 6. According to Varadkar, his reasonings behind stepping down are “both personal and political” stated at a news conference. Parliament would also have to vote on Varadkar’s replacement. Varadkar served as the first gay Prime Minister for the country of Ireland as of 2017. Varadkar also stated, “I believe that a new Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and a new leader will be better placed than me to achieve that (the coalition government’s re-election).” Last weekend, Varadkar met with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington to discuss the Isreal-Hamas conflict and celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. Varadkar declared that there was no “real reason” behind the decision, the timing was ultimately right for him to step down. In regards to potential successors, 37-year-old Higher Education Minister Simon Harris is the clear lead. The successor will have 12 months to close the leading poll gap led by the Sinn Fein party, the main opposition. However, current polls do suggest that the current three-party coalition could potentially be re-elected.
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