Leo Varadkar: Ireland elects first openly gay Prime Minister

38-year-old son of an Indian immigrant will also be youngest-ever person to hold the office

Leo Varadkar won 57 votes in the Irish parliament against 50, with 45 abstentions (AFP)

Leo Varadkar has been formally elected Ireland's youngest and first openly gay prime minister in the majority-Catholic country.

The 38-year-old son of an Indian immigrant will also be the youngest-ever person to hold the office of Taoiseach after succeeding Enda Kenny.

The new ruling Fine Gael leader won 57 votes in the Irish parliament against 50 for his nomination as premier. Some 45 parliamentarians abstained in the vote.

Accepting his elevation to the most powerful office in the country, the 38-year-old said: "I've been elected to lead but I promise to serve."

Mr Vardkar, who was nominated in parliament by departing Mr Kenny, won the votes of the independent lawmakers backing his Fine Gael party's minority government and secured the abstention of main opposition party Fianna Fail.

"As the country's youngest holder of this office, he speaks for a new generation of Irish women and Irish men, he represents a modern, diverse and inclusive Ireland and speaks for them like no other," Mr Kenny told parliament ahead of the vote.

Yesterday, Mr Varadkar warned the Prime Minister, Theresa May, that doing a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party could put the Good Friday Agreement at risk.

He said the British government should not get “too close” to any Northern Irish party.

“Our role as governments is to act as co-guarantors [to the Good Friday Agreement], not to be too close to any particular party in the North, whether it’s nationalist parties or unionist parties,” he added.

“That’s certainly something I will emphasis in any contacts that I have with the Prime Minister.”