Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar unexpectedly quits
DUBLIN, (Reuters) - Leo Varadkar said yesterday he would step down as Ireland's prime minister in a surprise move, saying the country's coalition government would stand a better chance of reelection under another leader.
Varadkar said he had asked his Fine Gael party to elect a new leader ahead of its annual conference on April 6. Parliament would then vote on that person succeeding him as prime minister after it returns from the Easter break on April 9.
The shock departure of Varadkar, who became the first gay prime minister of the once-staunchly Catholic country in 2017 and returned to the premiership just 15 months ago, does not trigger a general election. A vote must be held by March 2025.
"My reasons for stepping down are both personal and political," Varadkar, 45, told a hastily arranged news conference at government buildings in Dublin, sounding emotional as he spoke.
"But after careful consideration, and some soul searching, 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)."
His successor will have 12 months to try to claw back the wide opinion poll lead the main opposition Sinn Fein party, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, has over both Fine Gael and their main coalition partner Fianna Fail.
Polls suggest the current three-party coalition also stands a chance of being re-elected, though Fine Gael will have to do without around one-third of its sitting lawmakers who have said they will not seek re-election.
Bookmaker Paddy Power made 37-year-old Higher Education Minister Simon Harris, who was health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, the clear favourite to take over from Varadkar.
Other contenders include Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe and Justice Minister Helen McEntee. Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney, a former deputy prime minister who lost to Varadkar in the 2017 leadership election, ruled himself out.