INDIANORIGIN GAY POLITICIAN VARADKAR TO BE IRELAND PRIME MINISTER
NEWDELHI: Leo Varadkar, the son of a Mumbai-born doctor and Ireland’s first openly gay minister, was on Friday elected the country’s new prime minister, giving the Catholic nation its first leader of Asian descent.
The 38-year-old Varadkar became the youngest person to hold the office and also one of the world’s youngest prime ministers.
Varadkar is the youngest child of Ashok Varadkar, who met his future wife Miriam, a nurse, while working in Britain’s National Health Service in the 1960s.
He was a practising doctor before joining politics and being elected in 2007. He made news in 2015 when he came out as gay, an announcement that was initially met with some shock by his father but who, he said later, was “very supportive”.
Kenny stepped down this week as leader of the Fine Gael party after six years as the prime minister. Varadkar is reported to enjoy much support in the party and from ministers.
Varadkar was elected leader of the ruling Fine Gael party even though a majority of its grassroots members voted for his rival Simon Coveney.
His rise is remarkable in a conservative country that decriminalised homosexuality only in 1993 and did not allow divorce until 1996.
Ireland allowed gay marriage by a popular vote in 2015 but still has Europe’s toughest laws against abortion and Varadkar has campaigned for liberalising them.
Varadkar is in a relationship with Matthew Barrett, also a doctor.