To everyone's surprise, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar threw in the towel. On Wednesday March 20, the Taoiseach, Ireland's equivalent to Prime Minister, tendered his resignation citing reasons.Personal and political”. “I am resigning from the presidency and leadership of Fine Gael [son parti de centre-droit, NDLR] I will resign as Prime Minister as soon as my successor takes over“, he clarified.

The 45-year-old has been the head of a centre-right government since December 2022. He already held between 2017 and 2020. At the time, he was the youngest prime minister in office, and the first mixed-race and gay government in a country known as conservative.

The resignation comes just days after the March 8 referendum on reforming the Irish constitution failed. Written in 1937, the text offers an outdated view of society, confining women to their roles at home as wives and mothers. The government accused the government of not preparing enough conditions to accept this constitutional amendment.

If the next legislative elections were scheduled for spring 2025, Leo Varadkar's surprise resignation could change the situation and trigger an early vote.