Leo Varadkar unexpectedly resigns as Prime Minister of Ireland

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar suddenly resigned a few months before the European elections. UNN writes about this with reference to the BBC.

Details

At a press conference after the morning government meeting, Prime Minister Varadkar announced his resignation. He is stepping down both as prime minister and as leader of his party.

Varadkar has led the coalition government since 2017, when he became Ireland's youngest prime minister. In this position, he has had to respond to numerous major challenges, including Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and far-right riots in Dublin.

He described his career in public service as the most fulfilling time of his life.

I am proud that we have made the country more equal and modern

He noted the measures taken to combat the cost of living crisis and to increase Ireland's influence in the international community.

He also acknowledged that there are areas in which the government has failed or backtracked, but said he would leave it to others to point them out.

I know that others will cope with these events just fine, how shall I put it? That is the wonderful thing about living in a democracy. There is never a right time to step down, but now is as good a time as any

Context

The resignation comes amid preparations for the general election. It is expected that the ruling coalition, which includes Varadkar's Fine Gael party, will be defeated by the nationalist Sinn Fein party.

Varadkar's resignation comes less than two weeks after a shocking "no" vote in a double referendum that was expected to repeal outdated constitutional provisions relating to the definition of the family and the role of women in society. The unexpected vote against the proposed changes was widely blamed on a sluggish government campaign that led to apathy and low voter turnout.

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