Leo Varadkar steps down as Irish prime minister in shock move

Leo Varadkar has announced he is standing down as Ireland’s prime minister and also giving up his role as leader of the Fine Gael party in the ruling coalition, in a surprise move described by pundits as a “political earthquake” for the country.at a press conference in Dublin on Wednesday, saying in an at-times emotional speech that he no longer felt he was the “best person” to lead Ireland.

In a statement read on the steps of government buildings in the Irish capital, he said: “I believe this government can be re-elected … I believe a new taoiseach will be better placed than me to achieve that – to renew and strengthen the top team, to refocus our message and policies and to drive implementation.”

Varadkar said his reasons for stepping down were “mainly political” but did not elaborate on what they were. Earlier this month, he was widely blamed for a crushing twin defeat at the ballot box, including the biggest ever referendum loss by an Irish government. Fine Gael has lost five recent byelections, prompting some to see Varadkar as an electoral liability. “His legacy will be that of an electoral loser,” Eoin O’Malley, a political scientist at Dublin City University, told Agence France-Presse. “He promised to be a good communicator, but it turned out he was bad at it. He had no clear agenda, and delivered little.”

On Wednesday, Varadkar said his tenure as taoiseach had been the “most fulfilling time of my life”, adding that his leadership had “made Ireland a more equal and prosperous country”.

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