Leo Varadkar will soon resign as Prime Minister of Ireland. That's what he said Wednesday in a press conference. He is stepping down as leader of his Fine Gael party. Varadkar is expected to stay on until a new party leader is found.
Varadkar said he was stepping down for “personal and political” reasons. “When I became party leader and prime minister in June 2017, I knew that it is also leadership to know when it is time to hand over the task – and then to have the courage to do it. That time is now.”
The prime minister's unexpected departure comes less than two weeks after the government suffered defeats in a double referendum. The government wanted to amend two outdated articles of the constitution, which establish 'the role of women' in society and the definition of a family. Due to a low turnout and weak campaign, a majority voted against the constitutional amendment, contrary to expectations.
Varadkar became Ireland's first gay prime minister in 2017, and the youngest person to hold the office. He became prime minister again in 2022. New elections will take place no later than March 2025. It is expected that there will be no new elections in the meantime, but a party member will take over his position.
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