Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who made history as his country�s first gay and first biracial leader, announced Wednesday that he will step down within weeks once a successor is chosen

Varadkar announced Wednesday he is quitting immediately as head of the center-right Fine Gael party, part of Ireland�s coalition government. He�ll be replaced as prime minister in April after a party leadership contest.

He said his reasons were �both personal and political� and he had no firm future plans. He said he plans to remain in parliament as a backbench lawmaker.

Varadkar sparked the ire of Jews and supporters of Israel worldwide when he noted the release of Israeli-Irish hostage Emily Hand, 9, from Hamas captivity by stating that �an innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned.�

Varadkar, 45, has had two spells as taoiseach, or prime minister � between 2017 and 2020, and again since December 2022 as part of a job-share with Miche�l Martin, head of coalition partner Fianna F�il.

He was the country�s youngest-ever leader when first elected, as well as Ireland�s first openly gay prime minister. Varadkar, whose mother is Irish and father is Indian, was also Ireland�s first biracial taoiseach.

He played a leading role in campaigns to legalize same-sex marriage, approved in a 2015 referendum, and to repeal a ban on abortion, which passed in a vote in 2018.

�I�m proud that we have made the country a more equal and more modern place,� Varadkar said in a resignation statement in Dublin.

Varadkar recently returned from Washington, where he met President Joe Biden and other political leaders as part of the Irish prime minister�s traditional St. Patrick�s Day visit to the United States.

Varadkar has faced discontent within Fine Gael. Ten of the party�s lawmakers, almost a third of the total, have announced they will not run for reelection.

Earlier this month, voters rejected the government�s position in referendums on two constitutional amendments. Changes backed by Varadkar that would have broadened the definition of family and removed language about a woman�s role in the home were resoundingly defeated. The result sparked criticism that the pro-change campaign had been lackluster and confusing.

Even so, his resignation was not widely expected. Martin, the current deputy prime minister, said he�d been �surprised, obviously, when I heard what he was going to do.�

�But I want to take the opportunity to thank him sincerely,� Martin said. �We got on very well.�

Martin said Varadkar�s resignation should not trigger an early election, and the three-party coalition government that also includes the Green Party would continue.

Varadkar said he knew his departure would �come as a surprise to many people and a disappointment to some.�

�I know that others will, how shall I put it, cope with the news just fine � that is the great thing about living in a democracy,� he said. �There�s never a right time to resign high office. However, this is as good a time as any.�

(AP & YWN Israel Desk � Jerusalem)