Ireland is set for its first ever openly gay Prime Minister following the election of Leo Varadkar as the leader of the country’s main governing party.
Mr Varadkar beat his rival, Housing Minister Simon Coveney, in the Fine Gael leadership contest on Friday (June 2) with 60% of the vote.
Just over two years after the country voted to legalise same-sex marriage nationwide in an historic referendum, more history will be made when Mr Varadkar takes over from former Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in the next few weeks.
The former Minister for Social Protection, whose father was an Indian immigrant doctor, came out in 2015 in the run-up to the referendum, making him the first openly gay cabinet member in Ireland.
Aged 38, Mr Varadkar is also set to become Ireland’s youngest ever Prime Minister, and first from an ethnic minority background.
His election is further evidence of the social revolution that has taken place in a country that criminalised homosexuality as recently as 1993.
Speaking following his election, Mr Varadkar said he was “honoured” to accept the “enormous challenge” ahead of him.
“If my election shows anything it’s that prejudice has no hold in this Republic,” he said.
“When my father travelled 5,000 miles to build a new home in Ireland, I doubt he ever dreamed his son would grow up to be its leader.”
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