₦airaland Forum

Ireland is to get its youngest prime minister, and the first who is openly gay.

Leo Varadkar, the 38-year-old Minister for Social Protection, was elected leader of the ruling Fine Gael party on Friday. He will be confirmed as Taoiseach, or prime minister, when the Irish parliament reconvenes on June 13.

The outgoing Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, stepped down as party leader in May, a position he held since 2002.
Varadkar's sole opponent, Housing Minister Simon Coveney, whose roots in the party run deep, won the backing of nearly two-thirds of the party's regular members.

But in the system for electing Fine Gael's leader, their votes only made up 25% of the total. Varadkar was backed by a majority of the Fine Gael's local council members and, crucially, 51 of its 73 parliamentary colleagues, whose votes counted for 65% of the total.
Varadkar said he was "delighted and humbled" at the result.

Varadkar, the son of an Indian-born father and Irish mother, became a doctor before first entering Irish parliament at the age of 27.

In 2015, as Minister of Health, Varadkar came out on Irish national radio, joining a handful of other openly gay politicians in Ireland in support of the Marriage Equality Bill, which allows same sex couples to marry.

Varadkar might seem to be an unexpected pick for leader of Ireland -- a country that's still finding its secular European footing after years of church influence over the state. But Varadkar's policies signal a sharp move towards the right.

Ireland's future
In his leadership campaign, "Taking Ireland Forward," Varadkar's fiscally conservative politics took center stage. He fiercely campaigned against benefit fraud with the slogan "welfare cheats cheat us all." He pledged to invest in large infrastructure projects, reform tax laws for the self-employed and has proposed to ban "essential" public workers from going on strike.

Varadkar also promised to represent the "people who get up early in the morning," in an effort to harness the support of Ireland's rural farmers, the middle class and elderly -- rhetoric that critics say both alienates and demonizes a large chunk of Ireland's casual workforce, who have been hit by increased austerity measures. He has also pledged to hold a referendum on abortion in 2018.

Varadkar is expected to officially take up the role as Taoiseach on June 13 after a formal confirmation from parliamentary members.

He also of Indian decent

I don't wanna sound homophobic, but the world is coming to an end.

blackberlin:
I don't wanna sound homophobic, but the world is coming to an end.

Bro Abeg not now. Please biko

blackberlin:
I don't wanna sound homophobic, but the world is coming to an end.

Bros abeg not now. Please biko

ifyan:
Bros abeg not now. Please biko

What is this one saying.... Hope you know its 14 years!!!
Abeg clear for road!

blackberlin:
What is this one saying.... Hope you know its 14 years!!!
Abeg clear for road!

Na Nigeria ?

blackberlin:
I don't wanna sound homophobic, but the world is coming to an end.

I never use Posche o oooh
Make world never and ooooh

seunny4lif:
I never use Posche o oooh
Make world never and ooooh

I never see my beautiful wife with my triplet in my mansion on my parents arm when my relations came visiting with one of my private jet with my company name written that have also flys presidents of different multinationals worth Billions of Kuwait Dollars which some are half of my Bank Account that are in different corners of the 6 continents of the world.

Abeg this end should postpone it coming.

Another one

ifyan:
I never see my beautiful wife with my triplet in my mansion on my parents arm when my relations came visiting with one of my private jet with my company name written that have also flys presidents of different multinationals worth Billions of Kuwait Dollars which some are half of my Bank Account that are in different corners of the 6 continents of the world.

Abeg this end should postpone it coming.

seunny4lif:

Another one

Abi na lie l De lie. [font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font]

ifyan:
Abi na lie l De lie. [font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font]

Noooooo
I still dey won born 12 kids
Use only 3 private jets

seunny4lif:
I never use Posche o oooh
Make world never and ooooh

Na so ooo....

seunny4lif:
Na Nigeria ?

You wey dey support am, na Irish u be abi!

See ya
Yes now

blackberlin:
You wey dey support am, na Irish u be abi!

seunny4lif:
Noooooo
I still dey won born 12 kids
Use only 3 private jets

Come you 12 children or you mean 1 or 2 kide

ifyan:
Come you 12 children or you mean 1 or 2 kide

Wetin now
12 kids

seunny4lif:
Wetin now
12 kids

PEJ must c dis

So wetin dem go call his partner when him enter.