Irish prime minister quits unexpectedly

DUBLIN — Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday 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 re-election 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, following which parliament would vote on that person succeeding him as prime minister after the Easter break. 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 automatically 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, have 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.

Bookmaker Paddy Power made 37-year-old Higher Education Minister Simon Harris, the country’s health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the clear odds-on favourite to take over from Varadkar.

Other contenders include Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney, a former deputy prime minister, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe and Justice Minister Helen Mcentee.

“The problem is that there is no natural stand out, one of the problems of being in power for so long is that all of them come with the baggage of longevity in office,” said David Farrell, professor of politics at University College Dublin.