Why Has Leo Varadkar Suddenly Resigned As Ireland's PM?

He will be stepping down as taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael party.
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Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday afternoon.
via Associated Press

Leo Varadkar unexpectedly announced his resignation as Ireland’s prime minister on Wednesday afternoon.

He confirmed that he will be stepping down as both taoiseach (PM) and leader of the governing party, Fine Gael, in a hastily pulled together press conference.

Why did Leo Varadkar resign?

Varadkar started off by saying there was no “real reason” behind the shock decision, but later suggested the reasons behind the news were both “personal and political”.

He said: “After careful consideration, and some soul searching, I believe that a new taoiseach and a new leader will be better placed than me to achieve that [the re-election of the coalition government].”

He added: “I have nothing else lined up. I have nothing in mind. I have no definite personal or political plans.”

He also said he had “led Ireland from unemployment to full employment, from budget deficit to budget surplus, from austerity to prosperity.”

Varadkar explained he was “proud that we have made the country a more equal and more modern place when it comes to the rights of children, the LGBT community, equality for women and their bodily autonomy”.

 

What will Varadkar’s legacy be?

He will likely be remembered as the first gay prime minister of the traditionally Catholic country.

When he was first elected in 2017, he also became the youngest person in Irish history to hold the office. 

The general election of 2020 led his party to form a coalition with two others – Fianna Fail and the much smaller Green Party – where the two largest parties rotate leadership.

Varadkar took the reins again in 2022, but since then, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, have fallen behind Sinn Fein – formerly the political wing of the IRA, and now the largest party in Northern Ireland.

Varadkar did also call a referendum earlier this month to drop the sexist references in the constitution only to lose it by a large majority, even though other key parties in government backed it.

Varadkar was also one of the first leaders in the West to warn Israel over the Gaza air strikes a week after the Israel-Hamas war began.

What does Varadkar’s resignation mean for Ireland?

It’s unlikely there will be an early general election in Ireland.

Varadkar has said he will remain as PM until his successor is appointed, and that he wants the new leader to be elected ahead of Fine Gael’s annual conference on April 6.

The Irish parliament could then vote on that leader taking his place as PM after Easter.