FINE GAEL LEADER Leo Varadkar is set to be elected Taoiseach today.

Barring any last-minute hitches, Varadkar will be elected in the Dáil later today by Fine Gael TDs and a cohort of independents.

The 38-year-old will become the 14th head of the Irish government after he heads to Áras an Uachtaráin to receive his seal of office.

Varadkar will then head back to Leinster House to name his cabinet, with the appointment of an Attorney General needed after Máire Whelan was nominated to the Court of Appeal by the government.

Varadkar has already appointed Simon Coveney, who challenged him for the leadership of Fine Gael, the deputy leader of the party.

Varadkar yesterday addressed the first meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party since his election as leader, confirming Coveney’s appointment.

He said:

I am really delighted to appoint Simon Coveney as Deputy Leader of Fine Gael and as a member of the Party’s Executive Council. Simon and I will work together to guide the participation by Fine Gael in the Government, and reform and modernise the Fine Gael Party in the years ahead.

Outgoing Taoiseach Enda Kenny yesterday gave his final Dáil speech, quoting Theodore Roosevelt by saying:

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Read: Flattery, chuckles and playful punches: Enda’s long goodbye comes to an end