Former Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar rules out running in next election

Jul 16. () –

Former Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and Fine Gael leader has announced he will not stand in the next election, due in 2025, and hopes the party can secure its seat in the constituency he represents, Dublin West.

“I have taken this decision at a time when Fine Gael is in good shape,” he said in a statement, adding that he would complete his term in the Irish Parliament or Dáil and remain a parliamentarian until its dissolution.

Varadkar said that “the time has come” to “explore new options and opportunities.” “I have never seen myself as a career politician and I am keen to see how I can contribute to society in other ways,” he said in a statement.

The announcement by Varadkar, 45, comes weeks after former Fine Gael deputy leader Simon Coveney — a former foreign and defence minister — ruled out standing in the upcoming vote, ending his long political career.

Varadkar took office as Ireland’s youngest prime minister in 2017. He resigned last March after his government’s proposed constitutional reform, which aimed to modernise the Magna Carta, was defeated in a referendum.