Two-horse race for Green Party leader between Roderic O'Gorman and Pippa Hackett
The race for the leadership of the Green Party is officially underway, as the nominations process opened this Thursday morning, June 20.
It's shaping up to be a two horse race so far, with Minister for Children and Intergration Roderic O'Gorman, and Senator and Minister for State Pippa Hackett having already announced their bids.
The Green Party expects to reveal the name of Eamon Ryan’s replacement as leader on July 8.
"Following a meeting of the Green Party’s executive committee this evening (June 19), the party has written to all members to inform them that nominations for the forthcoming leadership contest can be submitted from 9am tomorrow until 9pm on Monday," the party said in a statement.
Nominations for party leader are open to all Green Party / Comhaontas Glas members from now until Monday evening at 9pm.
— Green Party Ireland (@greenparty_ie) June 20, 2024
Nominees will be announced next Tuesday.
Members, please check your email for the details sent recently.
The name or names of those seeking to become leader will be made public on the morning of Tuesday, June 25.
"Prospective candidates need to be a full member of the party and receive 50 nominations from other full members. Information about the deputy leadership election, the hustings and voting will be sent to members in the coming days," the statement continued.
Senator Hackett, who also holds a ministerial post as Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, has been endorsed from the start by her party colleagues.
The Laois/Offaly senator is seen as a strong rural candidate who would dispel the narrative that the Green Party works against farmers and rural interests.
Green Party TD Ossian Smyth, speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland earlier this week, said that the party needs to be relevant outside Dublin.
“There’s this narrative that the Green Party is in opposition to rural Ireland and it’s not true and we need to counter that very clearly.
Read Also: Pippa Hackett enters contest for Green Party leadership
“Pippa Hackett is an agriculture minister, she is a beef and sheep farmer from Offaly, she’s been sitting at the Cabinet table for the last four years and making decisions on every aspect in running the country and I think that she is the person to lead the party, and she hasn’t said she would but, if she’s listening now, I would like her to consider running.
“If she does agree to run, then I would be willing to run as deputy leader alongside her," Deputy Smyth added.
Senator Hackett is also backed by her Seanad colleague, Pauline O’Reilly.
Minister O’Gorman, who is understood to have the backing of TD Joe O’Brien and junior Minister Malcolm Noonan, said he believes he has the right experience and vision to lead the party.
“I also have the experience of being a Cabinet minister for the last four years, progressing some major pieces of legislation, major pieces of policy through Government,” he told RTE News at One.
This all follows from the shock announcement in front of the Dáil on Tuesday afternoon from Eamon Ryan, who said he was "stepping down to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders."
This was followed by a further shock announcement from the Greens deputy leader, and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin saying that she too would "step back" from her role.
Under the Green Party constituition, any party member can contest the leadership if they have the support of 50 other party members, meaning in theory (but unlikely) the new party leader could be someone not serving in the Oireachtas.
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