Ireland’s Leo Varadkar calls for snap election on back of successful Brexit deal

The vote is being called more than a year early, as Varadkar seeks to capitalise on a successful Brexit deal and restored power-sharing in Northern Ireland

Opinion polls suggest the election could be a close contest between the two main parties

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Leo Varadkar took over from Enda Kenny as prime minister in June 2017. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:48pm, 14 Jan 2020Updated: 6:51am, 15 Jan 2020

Ireland will go to the polls next month in an early general election, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Tuesday, as he seeks to capitalise on a successful Brexit deal and restored power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

“The election will be held on Saturday, February 8th,” he said in a speech in Dublin, adding that he would ask President Michael D Higgins to dissolve parliament.

“We have a deal on Brexit and in Northern Ireland,” he added, explaining there was a “window of opportunity” to get a new government before the next European Council meeting in March.

Even though British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had brokered a deal with Brussels and looked set to leave the European Union by the end of the month, Varadkar said “Brexit is not done”.

“The next step is to negotiate a free-trade agreement between the EU, including Ireland, and the United Kingdom that protects our jobs, our businesses, our rural communities and our economy,” he said.

Work on domestic policy hinged on the outcome of those talks, which have to end by December. Having a new government would allow there to be full focus on the negotiations, he said.