Leaders Online: 37-year-old Simon Harris has become the youngest Prime Minister of Ireland. Indian-origin Leo Varadkar abruptly resigned as Prime Minister last month for personal and political reasons. Now Varadkar has been replaced by Simon Harris. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Simon Harris on becoming the youngest Prime Minister of Ireland. We are also looking forward to working together to further strengthen the India-Ireland bilateral partnership, said PM Modi in a post on X. (Ireland PM Simon Harris)
The Irish Parliament voted 88 to 69 in favor of Harris. President Michael D Higgins then officially announced Harris' name as Prime Minister. After Varadkar's resignation, Harris was elected as party leader by the Fine Gael party, which is part of a three-party coalition. He then became the Prime Minister.
“I am committed to doing everything I can to honor the trust you have placed in me today. This is a coalition government and I intend to lead in a spirit of unity, cooperation and mutual respect. We will bring new ideas and new energy. There is, I hope, a new empathy in public life. Time is certainly short and there is much to be done.” Harris said. (Ireland PM Simon Harris)
Indian-origin Leo Varadkar announced his resignation as Prime Minister in March. Leo Varadkar said his surprise resignation was for “personal and political, but mainly political reasons”. Varadkar first became Prime Minister in 2017 after being elected as leader of the Fine Gael party. He became the country's youngest Prime Minister and Ireland's first openly gay Prime Minister.
Leo Varadkar is originally from Varad village of Malvan in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. He first took office as the Prime Minister of Ireland in June 2017. Acknowledging that his decision to resign would come as a “surprise to many and upset to some”, Varadkar said he had taken the decision in the country's best interests.
Congratulations @SimonHarrisTD on becoming the youngest ever Prime Minister of Ireland. Highly value our historical ties that are based on shared belief in democratic values. Looking forward to work together to further strengthen India-Ireland bilateral partnership.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 10, 2024
President Higgins this afternoon appointed Simon Harris as Taoiseach at a ceremony in Áras an Uachtaráin pic.twitter.com/qCGfZGZC65
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) April 9, 2024
Read this: