He is just 38. He is gay. He is the son of an Indian immigrant. And he’s a sign of how much the Republic of Ireland has changed in recent decades from a conservative nation dominated by the Catholic Church into a multicultural society where you’re as likely to be served a pint of Guinness by a bartender from Latvia as one from Limerick
Leo Varadkar was elected Irish Prime Minister on Wednesday, making the 38-year-old son of an Indian immigrant the once-staunchly Catholic country's first gay premier and the youngest person to hold the office.
The former GP, who is the son of an Irish nurse and a doctor from India, won the Fine Gael party leadership earlier this month.
He has made his leadership rival Simon Coveney the deputy leader of the party.
Addressing the Dáil (Irish parliament) after his election, Mr Varadkar said: "I've been elected to lead but I promise to serve."
'Modern, diverse, inclusive'
"The government that I lead will not be one of left or right because those old divisions don't comprehend the political challenges of today.
"The government I lead will be one of the new European centre as we seek to build a republic of opportunity."