Leo Varadkar, a 38-year-old Indian-origin doctor, today scripted history by becoming Ireland's youngest and the first openly gay Prime Minister of the Catholic-majority country as he promised to build a republic of opportunity. <br/><br/>Varadkar, the country's first Indian-origin premier, officially took over from Enda Kenny as Taoiseach, as the Irish prime ministerial title is known, after a parliamentary vote in Dublin confirmed him as the leader by 57 votes to 50, with 47 abstentions.<br/><br/>The former general physician, who is the son of an Irish nurse and a doctor from India, won the Fine Gael party leadership earlier this month. <br/><br/>He has made his leadership rival Simon Coveney the deputy leader of the party.<br/>Addressing the Dail, Irish parliament, after his election, Varadkar said, he has been elected to lead but he promise to serve. <br/><br/>He then travelled to the president's residence, Aras an Uachtarain, where President Michael D Higgins gave him the seals of office to officially confirm his appointment.<br/><br/>Varadkar came out as a gay man in 2015, when Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage through popular vote. His partner, Matthew Barrett, is also a doctor.