Varadkar supported a more equal marriage law and abortion. The reforms have been approved, but the proposal to modernize the constitution was rejected recently
Sari Taussi,
Veikko Eromäki
Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar resigns from his position and at the same time from the leadership of Ireland.
He will first resign as leader of the leading government party Fine Gael, Irish media reported. Varadkar says he has asked the party to name a new leader before the April 4 caucus.
As Prime Minister of Ireland, Varadkar will continue until his party decides on his successor.
Fine Gael is part of the Irish government. The resignation does not necessarily lead to new parliamentary elections. Varadkar plans to continue as an MP.
After announcing his resignation, Varadkar held a press conference. According to Varadkar, the reasons for the separation were both personal and political.
The difference may be influenced by the fact that Fine Gael’s poll results have been weak recently, The Irish Times reports.
Varadkar campaigned for the Marriage Act and abortion
When Varadkar started, he was the youngest prime minister in Irish history and the first openly gay prime minister in predominantly Catholic Ireland.
He played a key role in the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage. The law was approved in a referendum in 2015. He also pushed for the legalization of abortion, which was approved in 2018.
– I am satisfied that we have made our country more equal and more modern, Leo Varadkar said in his resignation statement.
The reform of the family definition was not approved
On Women’s Day this month, Irish people rejected two constitutional reform proposals in referendums.
Varadkar supported motions that would have changed old-fashioned definitions of the family model and the role of women in the home. The design dates from 1937.
Source: Reuters, AP