In a planned change at the top of government in Ireland, former Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has taken over as Prime Minister. Irish President Michael D. Higgins appointed the 43-year-old as the new head of government after a special session of Parliament, Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported.

Varadkar from the conservative party Fine Gael replaces Micheál Martin from the also conservative party Fianna Fail. From now on he will be Vice.

Some ministers are also changing their posts

The coalition, which also includes the Irish Greens, had already agreed on the change at the beginning of their cooperation in 2020. With the planned replacement of the prime minister, some ministers are also changing their posts. The next elections in Ireland are scheduled for 2025 at the latest.

The formation of the conservative-Green coalition government in Ireland two years ago was considered historic. Before that, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail had alternated in government. Varadkar previously headed a Fine Gael government from 2017 to 2020, sanctioned by Martin's Fianna Fail.

The largest opposition party is currently the left-wing Sinn Fein, which is also the only party in the British province of Northern Ireland. For a long time, Sinn Fein was considered the political arm of the underground organization IRA, which fought at gunpoint during the civil war in Northern Ireland for a unification of the two parts of Ireland. In the meantime, the party has renounced violence and also carried out a generational change.