Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Indian-origin Leo Varadkar on his second term as Ireland’s prime minister. Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet that he values the historical ties, shared constitutional values and multilateral cooperation between India and Ireland. “Congratulations to @LeoVaradkar on his second term as Taoiseach. We highly value our historic links, shared constitutional values and multi-faceted partnership with Ireland. We look forward to working together to realize the full potential of our vibrant economies. (sic),” his tweet read .
Here are five things you should know about the Irish Prime Minister:
1) Varadkar became Ireland’s Prime Minister for the second time as part of a job-sharing deal struck by the country’s centrist coalition government. He replaced Micheál Martin as Taoiseach – or Irish leader – after lawmakers voted to approve his nomination at a special meeting of the Dail, the lower house of the Irish parliament.
2) In his acceptance speech, Varadkar promised to tackle the housing and cost of living crisis for the rest of his government and “offer hope and housing, economic opportunity and a fair start for all”.
3) Varadkar, 43, was prime minister from 2017 to 2020. He is the country’s youngest ever leader and the first openly gay prime minister. He became the country’s youngest taoiseach at the age of 38 and became Ireland’s first biracial leader to serve in the role, as well as the first of Indian heritage.
4) Varadkar was born in Dublin to an Irish mother who worked as a nurse and an Indian immigrant father who was a qualified doctor. After gaining a medical degree from Trinity College Dublin, he went into general practice but remained involved in politics, securing election to Fine Gael in Dublin West in 2007.
5) In 2015, ahead of Ireland’s referendum legalizing same-sex marriage, Varadkar publicly came out as gay. His tenure as Taoiseach was overshadowed by Brexit and the pandemic, during which he re-registered as a doctor and returned to work once a week while continuing to lead the country.
