AFTER DEAL, VARADKAR MAKES WAY FOR NEW IRELAND PM MARTIN, TO BE BACK AT THE HELM IN ’22

LONDON: Leo Varadkar, the outgoing Prime Minister of Ireland, will stay in government as the deputy PM under a new coalition government from Saturday headed by Micheal Martin. Varadkar will return as the PM in 2022 under the power-sharing arrangement.

Varadkar, 41, became a caretaker PM after no party won a majority in the February 8 election. The process of government formation was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Three parties have now agreed to form the coalition government. They are Varadkar’s Fine Gael, Martin’s Fianna Fail and the Green party. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, who have long been rivals since the Irish Civil War, are joining a coalition for the first time.

Martin will be the PM for two and a half years, and will be replaced by Varadkar for the remaining period of the parliament, reports from Dublin said.

UK PM Boris Johnson congratulated Martin on social media.