On Friday, Ireland got its youngest prime minister, Leo Varadkar, of the ruling Fine Gael party.
The 38-year-old is the first Prime Minister who has come out as gay publicly. Varadkar, Minister for Social Protection, will be confirmed as the prime minister, when the Irish Parliament reconvenes on June 13.
Varadkar said that he was “delighted and humbled” at the result.
Varadkar’s only opponent, Housing Minister Simon Coveney, won the votes of only two-thirds of the party’s regular members.
He was backed by a majority of the Fine Gael’s local council members and, 51 of its 73 parliamentary colleagues. Their votes accounted for 65% in total.
Son of an Indian-born father and Irish mother, Varadkar first entered Irish parliament at the age of 27.
The Fine Gael party leader is likely to take up the role as Taoiseach, or PM, on June 13, once a formal confirmation is given by the parliamentary members.
In May, the outgoing PM, Enda Kenny, stepped down as the party leader, who had been holding the position since 2002.
Also read: Is Ireland ready to be led by this Indian-origin gay politician?
