An Indian-origin doctor Leo Varadkar (38), the son of Mumbai-born father and Irish mother, is likely to become the country’s first gay prime minister, as the result is expected to be declared on Friday.
Varadkar faces housing minister Simon Coveney to succeed Enda Kenny as leader of the governing Fine Gael and prime minister.
He had announced his candidacy after Kenny announced his resignation, a title referred to as Taoiseach in Ireland.
Meanwhile, Loe’s cousin Shubhada Varadkar told that they hail from a family of freedom fighters that spread its wings across Mumbai and Ireland in the 1960s.
She also said that his parents visit Mumbai and the ancestral village of Varad.
If Varadkar is elected, a move that would give the once-staunchly Catholic country its first openly gay leader and its first of Asian immigrant descent.
It’s been a great campaign. I want to say thanks to all the volunteers, members & Cllrs I met over #FGLE17 for the warm welcome. Thank you
— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) June 1, 2017
Varadkar is in a relationship with Matthew Barrett, also a doctor. Ireland’s Independent newspaper described Barrett as “the rock behind Leo Varadkar as he strives to become leader of Fine Gael”.
“Although the pair have been an item for the last 18 months, they have so far shunned the spotlight – although that could change should Mr Varadkar become Taoiseach (prime minister),” the report said.
If Varadkar becomes prime minister, Ireland will be only the fourth country to have an openly gay head of government – Belgium’s Elio Di Rupo, Iceland’s Johanna Siguroardottir and Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel are the others.
Varadkar came out during an interview with Irish national radio on his 36th birthday in January 2015. “It’s not something that defines me. I’m not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It’s just part of who I am, it doesn’t define me, it is part of my character I suppose,” he said.
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