Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Leo Varadkar on his reelection as the head of the Irish government and said he highly valued shared constitutional values and multi-faceted cooperation with the country.
Varadkar returned for a second term as Ireland's prime minister on Saturday as part of a job-sharing deal made by the country's centrist coalition government.
Modi tweeted, "Congratulations Leo Varadkar on assuming office as Taoiseach for the second time. Highly value our historical ties, shared constitutional values & multi-faceted cooperation with Ireland. Look forward to working together to realise the full potential of our vibrant economies."
Lawmakers voted to approve Varadkar’s nomination to replace Micheál Martin during a special session of the Dail, the lower house of Ireland’s parliament. His appointment was confirmed when he received the seal of office from President Michael D. Higgins, Ireland’s head of state.
Martin has served as Ireland’s leader, or taoiseach, since an election in 2020 that produced a historic coalition agreement between his Fianna Fáil party and Varadkar’s Fine Gael.
Forming a government along with the smaller Greens, the parties agreed Martin would hold the top job with Varadkar as his deputy for the first half of a five-year term, before the men switched posts.
The government faces a daunting set of challenges, including a housing crisis, soaring energy costs, an overstretched health care system and thorny post-Brexit relations with the United Kingdom.
(With inputs from agencies)
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