Gay minister may become new Irish PM
IRELAND: The first openly gay minister in Ireland has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Enda Kenny as prime minister when Kenny announces his intention to resign.
Leo Varadkar, 38, a doctor whose father is Indian, became the first serving cabinet member to reveal that he is homosexual shortly before the country passed the result of its referendum on marriage equality, which backed same-sex marriage, into law in 2015.
Kenny is expected to announce at a meeting of his Fine Gael party today that he will step down, after being engulfed in an alleged government smear campaign against a police whistleblower.
It is understood that Fine Gael, which leads a fragile ruling coalition, will delay a leadership contest until after March 17 so that Kenny can attend the St Patrick’s Day ceremony at the White House.
Sources close to Kenny claim that he is also eager to establish Ireland’s position at the European Council summit that will take place once Britain triggers Article 50 to begin the process of leaving the European Union.
The fallout from the whistleblower controversy continues to undermine Ireland’s political establishment and police. Kenny has struggled to explain when he first learned of an alleged smear campaign against Maurice Mccabe, a police sergeant who revealed malpractice in the force a decade ago.
A tribunal of inquiry has been established to ascertain whether Noirin O’sullivan, the police commissioner, and Martin Callinan, her predecessor, knew of the alleged attempt to discredit Mccabe. Last week it emerged that the Child and Family Agency, a state body, had created a file on Mccabe and his family containing a false allegation of sexual abuse made by a teenager in relation to the police officer. The government narrowly defeated a motion of no confidence last week, but Fine Gael’s ratings have plummeted.
There is a chance that the party’s nomination will not be accepted as prime minister and a general election could be held later this year. The last election, a year ago, resulted in a hung parliament. Kenny had hoped to remain in office until next year, when a deal that allows his minority coalition to pass legislation is due for renewal.
He has frequently emphasised that his close links and alliances to EU colleagues are vital in securing concessions for Ireland when Brexit negotiations begin. The republic is seeking to retain an open border with Northern Ireland to allow people and goods to flow freely and ensure that the peace process is not damaged.
Kenny has been at the helm of Fine Gael, a right-of-centre Christian democratic party, since 2002 and has been head of government since 2011. His party suffered heavy losses in last year’s general election, but he was elected prime minister under an arrangement between his party and Fianna Fail, the main opposition. He conceded that he would not lead Fine Gael into the next general election.
- The Times