Ireland’s progressive Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has announced he is resigning for “personal and political” reasons, stepping down less than two weeks after he was soundly defeated on a referendum to redefine marriage and the role of women in the nation’s constitution.
The resignation comes less than two weeks after Varadkar and his government allies suffered a massive and unexpected — by them, at least — defeat in a double national referendum this month. Under the proposed changes, marriage would have been redefined as “durable relationships” in the constitution, and protections for women were to be removed as they were claimed to be “sexist”. Despite a perception the government was definitely going to win the votes, they were actually defeated with 67 per cent and 73 per cent against on the two questions.
Irish media reported last year that Varadkar was considering making use of that constitutional change by marrying his long-term partner Matthew Barrett and “welcoming kids” to the family. But those statements came less than a year after the Irish leader faced headlines about him having been filmed “socialising” in a Dublin gay nightclub, which he dismissed as a “personal matter”.
A similar scandal that mirrored the Varadkar video emerged in Finland the following year where Prime Minister Sanna Marin — like Varadkar the youngest leader in the history of the country — was filmed “dancing intimately” at a nightclub with a man who was not her husband. Marin resigned months later, also citing personal reasons.
Reflecting on his time as leader and his progressive mission while in power, Varadkar said in Dublin today that: “I’m proud we’ve made the country a more equal and more modern place when it comes to the rights of children, the LGBT community, equality for women, and their bodily autonomy.”
Varadkar said he acknowledged some people would be pleased to hear of his decision, and despite his explanations of the “personal and political” reasons for the resignation predicted there would be speculation about the “real reason” for the move.
As it is, like most European countries, Ireland is just months away from June’s European Union elections, a continent-wide vote which pollsters claim will see considerable gains for the right in the European Parliament. Ireland is also due to have national elections to pick its next government next year. Making oblique reference to the fact he may have become an electoral liability, the one-time golden boy of Irish politics said “I believe a new leader would be better placed than me to… to renew and strengthen the team… I don’t feel I’m the best person for that job any more”.
His party, he said, may stand a “better chance under a new leader”.
This story is developing, more follows.
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