His election marks another chapter in the social change that has swept through the country of 4.6 million people that only decriminalised homosexuality in 1993 but became the first country to adopt gay marriage via a popular vote in 2015.
Ireland's governing Fine Gael party elected Leo Varadkar as its new leader on Friday, choosing the gay, 38-year-old son of an Indian immigrant to succeed Enda Kenny as prime minister in a striking sign of the country's rapid social change.
Varadkar overcame ministerial colleague Simon Coveney as expected, winning an overwhelming majority among the centre-right party's lawmakers, who hope the straight-talking Dubliner can lead them to third successive term for the first time. Varadkar will be voted in as prime minister when parliament next sits on June 13.
AT A GLANCE
His election marks another chapter in the social change that has swept through the country of 4.6 million people that only decriminalised homosexuality in 1993 but became the first country to adopt gay marriage via a popular vote in 2015. It also shows another face of modern-day Ireland.
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Varadkar's father Ashok, who like his son is a doctor, was born in Mumbai in India.
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He met his wife Miriam, an Irish nurse, in England in the 1970s before moving to Ireland where Varadkar was born.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day in Mumbai, it was celebration time at Avinash Varadkar's Borivli home with more than 100 relatives invited to join in the merriment. The octogenarian cannot contain his excitement as his nephew Leo Varakdar was all set to be Ireland's new Prime Minister.
"Today, he will be elected the leader of the party and it will be a few days before he is officially sworn in, but we wanted to celebrate his success," said Avinash, who last met Leo a few years ago when the latter was the sports minister and was visiting India to attend a cricket match in Kolkata.
Avinash, who used to work in the Railways is one of Leo's four uncles. Leo has five other aunts and several cousins living in India. The family traces its roots to Varad in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
While Leo has visited India a few times, he also has another special connection to Mumbai. He spent a year at the KEM Hospital in Parel, working as an intern, after completing his degree in medicine from Trinity College in London. "We are extremely proud that a KEMite is getting such an honour. We all congratulate him and wish him well," said Dr Avinash Supe, dean, KEM hospital though he admitted he doesn't have any memory of meeting Leo personally.
Leo's cousin sister Shubhada Varadkar, 53, who is a noted Odissi dancer said, "He was in India for a month during his internship. He came a few times just to meet the cousins and other family members after that."
Two of Leo's uncles were freedom fighters. "So politics is in our blood," Shubhada added. She last met Leo in 2016 when she visited Dublin and Leo showed her around the Parliament building there. The family members say that Leo was always involved in community activities since childhood.
Leo Varadkar arrives at the count centre as he wins the Fine Gael parliamentary elections to replace Prime Minister of Ireland (Taoiseach) Enda Kenny as leader of the party in Dublin, Ireland June 2, 2017. REUTERS
Leo is also set to be Ireland's first openly gay Prime Minister. He declared his sexual orientation in 2015 on his 36th birthday.
With inputs from agencies
A KEM INTERN
- His father Dr Ashok Varadkar was born in Mumbai and mother Miriam is Irish.
- He studied medicine at Trinity College and interned at KEM Hospital in Mumbai
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