Ireland's likely next PM would be first gay, minority leader

The fiercely Catholic country, which only legalized homosexuality in 1993 and introduced divorce shortly thereafter, was the first country to legalize same sex marriage by popular vote, with an overwhelming majority.

Leo Varadkar is on track to take over the leadership of Ireland's ruling Fine Gael Party today, making him the next Taoiseach or Prime Minister.

He beat his rival - Housing Minister Simon Coveney - with 60% of the votes to lead the center-right Fine Gael party.

Mr. Kenny took over as leader of the party in 2002 and was first elected Taoiseach in 2011.

The new taoiseach is not expected to be formally confirmed until June 13 when the Dail parliament resumes following a week-long break.

Elected Fine Gael politicians and ordinary members had been voting throughout the week for their new party leader.

He had faced repeated calls to stand aside after six years in government.

But there are limits to the country's newfound tolerance, and early in his campaign for the party leadership Varadkar said he hoped his sexuality would not be an issue.

Varadkar, 38, will officially take over as Taoiseach, as the Irish prime ministerial title is known in Ireland, in Parliament later this month after he was declared the victor in the leadership race for the Fine Gael party.

Varadkar's media-savvy charisma, grass-roots campaign strategy and ability to appeal to both urban and rural voters placed him in the best position to become the country's next leader, analysts said.

"I think if my election as leader of Fine Gael today has shown anything, it is that prejudice has no hold in this Republic", he said, to applause and cheering at Dublin's Mansion House.

Kenny, 66, resigned as party leader in May and will remain as head of the government until the Irish parliament returns.

Mr Varadkar, who came out as gay in the run up to the 2015 same-sex marriage referendum, has been in charge of the welfare system.

Varadkar joined Fine Gael in secondary school and contested the 1999 local elections in the Mulhuddart area aged just 20.

The former Minister for Social Protection has only visited his father's homeland once, aged 14. "When he was sports minister, he accompanied the Irish cricket team to Mumbai".

Varadkar, a doctor educated at Trinity College Dublin, entered Irish politics in 2004, when he polled nearly 5,000 votes in a local government election in the Dublin West constituency.