The Green Party has said that its new leader to replace Eamon Ryan is expected to be announced on July 8.
Following a meeting of the party’s executive committee yesterday evening (Wednesday, June 19), the party wrote to all its members to inform them that nominations for the forthcoming leadership contest can be submitted from 9:00a.m this morning (Thursday, June 20) until 9:00p.m on Monday (June 24).
The name or names of Green Party members who have been nominated will be officially finalised on Tuesday morning (June 25), the party said.
Candidates need to be a full member of the Green Party and must receive 50 nominations from other full members.
The party is also set to hold a deputy leadership contest after deputy leader, and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin stepped down. Information on the deputy leadership contest will be sent to Green Party members in the coming days, the party said.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Pippa Hackett, has confirmed that she will run to become the next leader of the Green Party.
There are now two candidates confirmed to contest for the place, after Minister Eamon Ryan announced his departure on Tuesday (June 18).
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, is the other candidate to run for the position after 24 years being part of the Green Party.
Minister Eamon Ryan confirmed on Tuesday that he will step down as leader of the Green Party after 13 years and that he will not contest the next General Election.
Speaking at a press conference outside Leinster House, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications said he had “spent the last 30 years either running for or holding public office”.
“I am stepping down to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders, confident in the strength and values I have seen built up in our party over all these years.”
“Our party will now elect a new leader to lead the party from here,” Minister Ryan said.
He also detailed that he will continue as party leader and in his ministerial roles until a new leader is appointed and that he is looking forward to “fulfilling whatever role a new leader assigns me for the remaining term of this government”.