Leo Varadkar, the Prime Minister of Ireland, has announced his resignation due to personal and political reasons. Varadkar, who served as the Taoiseach from 2017-2020 and again from 202w until now, made the surprise announcement outside Government Buildings in Dublin. According to reports, he will stay in his position until a new leader is chosen by his political party, Fine Gael, in April. The new leader will then need to be elected as Prime Minister by The Dail, the lower house of the Irish Parliament.
Varadkar, known for his visit to The White House to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with President Joe Biden, recently faced pressure to call a general election after two constitutional amendments he supported were rejected by the Irish people in a referendum. These amendments aimed to remove references to the centrality of mothers in the home and broaden the definition of families. Varadkar, the first openly gay leader of Ireland, has been an advocate for equality and modernization of the country’s laws.
In his resignation speech, Varadkar expressed pride in the progress made during his time in office, particularly in advancing the rights of children, the LGBT community, and women. He has also been a vocal supporter of Ireland’s proposed hate speech legislation, which has been criticized for being vaguely worded and strict. The announcement of Varadkar’s resignation has caught many by surprise, and his successor is expected to be determined in the coming months.
