Right after calling out US support to 'Israel', Irish PM to step down
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Leo Varadkar has been one of Europe's most critical leaders of the Israeli war on Gaza.
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Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (R) gifts a bouquet of Shamrocks to US President Joe Biden during a St. Patrick's Day Celebration at the White House in Washington, on March 17, 2024. (AFP)
Ireland's Leo Varadkar announced on Wednesday his intention to resign as the country's Prime Minister in an unexpected decision. He cited the belief that the country's coalition government would have a higher likelihood of being reelected with a different leader.
Varadkar stated that he had requested his Fine Gael party to choose a new leader before its yearly conference on April 6. Subsequently, parliament would vote on the chosen individual to succeed him as prime minister after the Easter break.
Varadkar's unexpected departure does not immediately necessitate a general election. A vote must take place by March 2025.
During a hastily organized news conference at government buildings in Dublin, he appeared emotional as he said, "My reasons for stepping down are both personal and political."
"But after careful consideration, and some soul searching, I believe that a new Taoiseach (prime minister) and a new leader will be better placed than me to achieve that (the coalition government's re-election)," he stressed.
The incoming leader will have a year to attempt to narrow the significant lead in opinion polls currently enjoyed by the main opposition Sinn Fein party.
Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, currently holds a lead over both Fine Gael and their primary coalition partner, Fianna Fail.
Meanwhile, opinion polls indicate that the current three-party coalition has a potential for reelection. According to bookmaker Paddy Power, 37-year-old Higher Education Minister Simon Harris, who served as the country's health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, is the leading favorite to succeed Varadkar.
Other potential candidates include Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney, a former deputy prime minister, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, and Justice Minister Helen McEntee.
What could be the real reason behind stepping down?
Just last weekend, the Irish PM called out US support for "Israel" at the White House right in front of the US President who just looked on.
"I think none of us like to see American weapons being used in the way they are. The way they're being used at the moment is not self-defense," Varadkar said after meeting with Biden in the Oval Office.
Varadkar was in Washington to take part in St. Patrick's Day celebrations, and he had a meeting with Biden.
Palestinians "need the bombs to stop," the Irish Prime Minister stressed Sunday as he made a plea for a ceasefire in Gaza, speaking during the reception
"The people of Gaza desperately need food, medicine and shelter, and most especially they need the bombs to stop," Varadkar underlined.
The prime minister, also known as the Taoiseach in Irish, has been one of Europe's most critical leaders of the Israeli war on Gaza.
He pointed out that "the Irish people are deeply troubled about the catastrophe that's unfolding before our eyes in Gaza."
"We see our history in their eyes, a story of displacement, of dispossession, and (in which) national identity questions are denied. Forced emigration, discrimination, and now hunger," he expressed, invoking his country's memories of its own struggles against British rule.
