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<\/div>\nThis will be Leo Varadkar’s second term as Prime Minister of Ireland (Taoiseach). (File)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Dublin, Ireland: <\/b><\/p>\n
Leo Varadkar takes over for the second time as Ireland’s prime minister this weekend, in a handover of power between the two main political partners in the three-party governing coalition.<\/p>\n
Varadkar, who is mixed race, openly gay and is still one of Ireland’s youngest ever leaders even in his second stint in the role, steps up from deputy premier on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The rotation between 43-year-old Varadkar’s Fine Gael and current premier Micheal Martin’s Fianna Fail parties is unprecedented in Irish history.<\/p>\n
The centre-right parties were forged from opposing sides in the Irish Civil War in the early 20th century.<\/p>\n
They agreed to the rotating premiership as part of a coalition with Ireland’s Greens following 2020 elections.<\/p>\n
Varadkar was seen as a fresh face when he took the helm of governing Fine Gael in 2017.<\/p>\n
But after two-and-a-half years as Taoiseach (prime minister in Irish), a misfire at the polls in 2020 and controversies as deputy premier, his critics claim he has lost his shine.<\/p>\n
A December poll for Ireland’s Sunday Independent indicated 43 percent of respondents were in favour of Martin remaining in power, against 34 percent for Varadkar.<\/p>\n
But Varadkar’s backers point to his experience steering the nation through the coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath of the UK’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union.<\/p>\n
Glass ceilings<\/strong><\/p>\n Varadkar’s rise to the top of Irish politics was remarkable in a country dominated by a strict, conservative Catholic morality well into the latter half of the last century.<\/p>\n At 38, he became the country’s youngest Taoiseach as well as its first openly gay head of government and first of Indian heritage.<\/p>\n Varadkar was born in Dublin to an Irish mother who worked as a nurse and an Indian immigrant father, who was a qualified doctor.<\/p>\n At the age of seven, a precocious Varadkar is reported to have told his mother’s friends that he wanted to be the minister for health.<\/p>\n After gaining a medical degree from Trinity College Dublin, he went into general practice but stayed involved in politics, and in 2007 secured election for Fine Gael in Dublin West.<\/p>\n In 2015, before Ireland’s referendum legalising same-sex marriage, Varadkar came out publicly as gay.<\/p>\n His partner, Matthew Barrett, is a cardiologist.<\/p>\n “I am a gay man, it’s not a secret, but not something that everyone would necessarily know,” Varadkar told RTE at the time.<\/p>\n “It’s not something that defines me…. It’s part of my character.”<\/p>\n The revelation raised his profile, with praise from all quarters of Irish politics and beyond.<\/p>\n Image<\/strong><\/p>\n Varadkar’s tenure as Taoiseach was overshadowed by Brexit and the pandemic.<\/p>\n He was widely judged as an effective communicator leading the country into its first lockdown — one of the longest and most stringent imposed in Europe.<\/p>\n He re-registered as a doctor, returning to work once a week while continuing to lead the country.<\/p>\n On Brexit, Varadkar was credited in 2019 with former UK prime minister Boris Johnson for breaking the deadlock on Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n But a resulting deal — which effectively keeps the UK-run province within the European single market and customs union — remains a point of tension between Brussels and London.<\/p>\n Varadkar’s image has more recently been hit by a police investigation into his leaking of a government pay deal for GPs to a friend.<\/p>\n In July, the director of public prosecutions confirmed they would not pursue a case against him, which might have jeopardised his return as premier.<\/p>\n Varadkar’s private life has also been in the spotlight in recent weeks after he was filmed socialising at a Dublin nightclub.<\/p>\n The footage, which has been viewed millions of times on social media, has sparked debate over privacy in public life and social media regulation.<\/p>\n Defended by government colleagues, Varadkar responded by saying he would not comment on the personal matter.<\/p>\n But he added that “everyone makes errors in judgement”.\u00a0<\/p>\n (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\nFeatured Video Of The Day<\/h3>\n