He received the publicly declared support of almost two-thirds of the parliamentary party, who account for 65 percent of the vote.
Bar any unexpected development, the former doctor will be voted in as Ireland’s prime minister when parliament next sits on June 13.
He said this week: ‘If somebody of my age, of my mixed race background and of all the things that make up my character can potentially become leader of our country, then I think that sends out a message to every child born today that there is no office in Ireland that they can’t aspire to.’
Varadkar’s father Ashok, who is also doctor, was born in Mumbai in India.
He met his wife Miriam, an Irish nurse, in England in the 1970s before moving to Ireland, where their son was born.
On his 36th birthday in January 2015 during an interview on Ireland’s RTÉ Radio, Mr Varadkar spoke publicly for the first time about being gay.
