Revision as of 14:25, 28 June 2017

A profile

May 22 2017: The Times of India

A doctor of Indian-origin and Ireland's first openly gay minister has emerged as the frontrunner in the country's prime ministerial race.

Leo Varadkar, 38, the Dublin-born son of a Mumbai-born father and Irish mother, is expected to become Ireland's first homosexual prime minister.

Varadkar, who is Ireland's welfare minister, has won early support for his leadership bid from several senior Cabinet members and a majority of his parliamentary colleagues have publicly backed him. He announced his candidacy after PM Enda Kenny announced his resignation, a title referred to as Taoiseach in Ireland. Varadkar faces housing minister Simon Coveney in the race as nominations closed for the leadership of the governing Fine Gael party this week. “I am not counting my chickens. I am really humbled at the level of support I have received from my colleagues and I am really looking forward to the hustings and the debates,“ he said. Kenny's successor is due to be elected by June 2 and Ireland's parliament is set to vote in the new leader a few days later.

The minister has campaigned for same-sex marriage and liberalising abortion laws. He worked as a general practitioner (GP) before winning a seat in the parliament in 2007 and has rapidly risen through the party ranks, holding several portfolios including minister for social protection and minister for transport, tourism and sports.