2024 Green Party leadership elections (Ireland)

Last updated

2024 Green Party leadership election
  2020 5 – 8 July 2024Within 6 months of
Next Irish general election  
Turnout1,896 (55.36% of 3,425 eligible voters) [1]
 
Roderic O'Gorman, November 2022 (headshot).jpg
Pippa Hackett 2023.jpg
Candidate Roderic O'Gorman Pippa Hackett
Popular vote984912
Percentage51.90%48.10%

Leader before election

Eamon Ryan

Elected Leader

Roderic O'Gorman

Leadership elections are occurring in Ireland's Green Party in July 2024, after Eamon Ryan announced his intention to resign as party leader. Ryan, who had led the party since 2011, announced his resignation on 18 June 2024. Following the announcement, deputy leader Catherine Martin announced she would be stepping down as deputy leader, triggering a deputy leadership election.

Contents

The election was held online over three days. Roderic O'Gorman won the election and became leader of the party on 8 July 2024. [1] Of the 3,425 votes available, O'Gorman received 984 votes, while Hackett received 912. [2]

The party's deputy leadership election was held on 14 July 2024, [3] and was subsequently won by Róisín Garvey. [4]

Background

At the 2024 European Parliament election and local elections held on 7 June, the Green Party lost both of its MEPs and half of its local councillors. [5]

Ryan announced his resignation as party leader after the 18 June meeting of the cabinet. [6] Ryan also announced his intention to resign from office as Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport in the coalition government of which his party is a partner, and said he would relinquish both roles once the Green Party had elected a new leader. Ryan's resignation made him the second party leader in Ireland's coalition government to announce their resignation during 2024 following that of Leo Varadkar, who stepped down as leader of Fine Gael and as Taoiseach. [5] [7] Ryan said that the election results were not his reason for stepping down from the role, but that he had made the decision to do so several months earlier "for a variety of reasons including family commitments". Speaking on the 18 June edition of RTÉ's Six One News , he also confirmed he would not contest the next general election. [6] [8]

On 19 June, a meeting of the Green Party's executive committee set 8 July as the date for the leadership election. [9]

Candidates

A number of Green Party TDs, including Malcolm Noonan, a junior minister in the coalition government, and Neasa Hourigan, TD for Dublin Central, ruled themselves out of running to replace Ryan. [10] [11]

CandidateOfficeAnnouncedEndorsements
Pippa Hackett 2023.jpg
Pippa Hackett
(Senator on the Agricultural Panel)
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 19 June 2024Senator Pauline O'Reilly and TDs Brian Leddin, Steven Matthews, and Ossian Smyth [12] [13]
Roderic O'Gorman, November 2022 (headshot).jpg
Roderic O'Gorman
(TD for Dublin West)
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth 19 June 2024 Marc Ó Cathasaigh, Malcolm Noonan, Patrick Costello, and Joe O'Brien who initially considered standing, as well as several councillors including Hazel Chu [14]

Pippa Hackett is a farmer from County Offaly [15] and has positioned herself to be the leader who can win support from farmers and rebuild trust with rural voters. [16] All Green Party leaders to date have been from Dublin.

Roderic O'Gorman said he believed the party needed to broaden the focus on its policies beyond its climate and nature restoration, and that he would try to form a "progressive alliance" with Labour and the Social Democrats who are seen as centre-left. [17] Hackett responded to O'Gorman via X by saying she would work with any party and that the Green Party was "not the SDLGP". [18]

Deputy leadership election

2024 Green Party deputy leadership election
14 July 2024
Turnout653 (71.21% of 917 eligible voters) [19]
 
Roisin Garvey, March 2023 (cropped).jpg
Neasa Hourigan, May 2022 (cropped).jpg
Candidate Róisín Garvey Neasa Hourigan
Popular vote333320
Percentage50.99%49.01%

Deputy leader before election

Catherine Martin

Elected Deputy leader

Róisín Garvey

Following Ryan's announcement, deputy leader Catherine Martin also confirmed she would step down from her post, but said she would continue her role as Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, [20] and contest her Dáil seat in Dublin Rathdown at the next general election. [21] Minister of State Ossian Smyth had initially declared his candidacy but pulled out following the election of O'Gorman as leader, saying that the deputy leader should be a woman. [22] The election for the deputy leadership was held on 14 July. The election was won by Senator Róisín Garvey. [23]

Candidates

Withdrawn

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Party (Ireland)</span> Irish political party

The Green Party is a green political party that operates in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It holds a pro-European stance. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and adopted its current English language name in 1987 while the Irish name was kept unchanged. The party leader is Roderic O'Gorman, the deputy leader is Senator Róisín Garvey and the cathaoirleach (chairperson) is Pauline O'Reilly. Green Party candidates have been elected to most levels of representation: local government, Dáil Éireann, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the European Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Éamon Ó Cuív</span> Irish politician (born 1950)

Éamon Ó Cuív is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since the 1992 general election. He previously served as Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from 2011 to 2012, as Minister for Social Protection from 2010 to 2011, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs from 2002 to 2010, and as a Minister of State from 1997 to 2002. He also served as Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and Minister for Defence from January to March 2011, appointed to these positions in addition to his own on the resignation of other members of the government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eamon Ryan</span> Irish politician (born 1963)

Eamon Michael Ryan is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport since June 2020 and was Leader of the Green Party from May 2011 to June 2024. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency since 2016, and previously from 2002 to 2011 for the Dublin South constituency. He previously served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011. On 18 June 2024, he announced that he was stepping down as leader of the Green Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Róisín Shortall</span> Irish politician (born 1954)

Róisín Shortall is an Irish Social Democrats politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-West constituency since 1992. She was previously founding joint leader of the Social Democrats from 2015 to 2023 and served as Minister of State for Primary Care from 2011 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Boyle (politician)</span> Irish politician (born 1962)

Daniel Boyle is an Irish Green Party politician and author who served as Deputy leader of Seanad Éireann from 2007 to 2011. He was a Senator from 2007 to 2011, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South-Central from 2002 to 2007.

This is a list of records relating to the Oireachtas, the national parliament of Ireland, which consists of the President of Ireland, and two Houses, Dáil Éireann, a house of representatives whose members are known as Teachtaí Dála or TDs, and Seanad Éireann, a senate whose members are known as senators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leader of Fianna Fáil</span>

The Leader of Fianna Fáil is the most senior politician within the Fianna Fáil political party in Ireland. Since 26 January 2011, the office has been held by Micheál Martin, following the resignation of Taoiseach Brian Cowen as leader of the party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roderic O'Gorman</span> Irish politician (born 1981)

Roderic O'Gorman is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as leader of the Green Party since July 2024 and as Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth since June 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency since 2020. He previously served as Chairman of the Green Party from 2011 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Martin (politician)</span> Irish politician (born 1972)

Catherine Martin is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media since June 2020 and was deputy leader of the Green Party from June 2011 to July 2024. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Rathdown constituency since 2016.

Cannabis in Ireland is illegal for recreational purposes. Use for medical purposes requires case-by-case approval by the Minister for Health. A bill to legalise medical uses of cannabis passed second reading in Dáil Éireann in December 2016, but was rejected by the Oireachtas Health Committee in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pippa Hackett</span> Irish politician (born 1974)

Pippa Hackett is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as a Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine since June 2020. She is one of three Ministers of State in attendance at cabinet, but without a vote. She has been a Senator for the Agricultural Panel since November 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel Chu</span> Irish politician (born 1980)

Hazel Chu is an Irish Green Party politician who has been a member of Dublin City Council since May 2019. She was elected Cathaoirleach (chairperson) of the Irish Green Party in December 2019, and was succeeded by Senator Pauline O'Reilly in December 2021. She was the first Irish-born person of Chinese descent elected to political office on the island of Ireland. She served as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 2020 to 2021, and in doing so became the first person of Chinese ethnicity to be mayor of a European capital.

The 33rd Dáil was elected at the 2020 general election on 8 February 2020 and first met on 20 February 2020. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It is sitting with the 26th Seanad as the Houses of the Oireachtas. There are 160 TDs in the 33rd Dáil, an increase of 2. The 33rd Dáil has lasted 1,607 days to date.

The 26th Seanad has been in office since 2020. The 2020 Seanad election followed the 2020 general election to the 33rd Dáil on 8 February. The Constitution of Ireland required a general election for Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Oireachtas, to take place no later than ninety days after the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil on 14 January 2020. There are 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 were elected on five vocational panels by serving politicians, for which polling closed on 30 March 2020; 6 were elected in two university constituencies, for which polling closed on 31 March 2020; and 11 were nominated by the Taoiseach on 27 June 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossian Smyth</span> Irish politician

Ossian Smyth is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as a Minister of State since July 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Leddin</span> Irish politician

Brian Leddin is an Irish Green Party politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since the 2020 general election. He was appointed Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action in September 2020, is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Chair of the Green Party's parliamentary party. He is the Green Party spokesperson for Transport, Energy and Climate Action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neasa Hourigan</span> Irish politician (born 1980)

Neasa Hourigan is an Irish Green Party politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency since the 2020 general election. She was Chair of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight from September 2020 until being suspended from the parliamentary party in March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Róisín Garvey</span> Irish politician (born 1973)

Róisín Garvey is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as a Senator since June 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. She was elected Deputy Leader of the Green Party on 14 July 2024.

The 2020 Green Party leadership election was a leadership election within Ireland's Green Party. The election was won by Eamon Ryan who received 51% of the votes cast and retained his position as leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saoirse McHugh</span> Irish politician

Saoirse McHugh is an Irish environmentalist and former Green Party politician. From Achill Island in County Mayo, she holds degrees in genetics and sustainable agriculture.

References

  1. 1 2 Finn, Christina (8 July 2024). "Roderic O'Gorman has been elected as new leader of the Green Party, replacing Eamon Ryan". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  2. "Roderic O'Gorman elected Ireland's Green Party leader". BBC News. BBC. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Maguire, Mairead (24 June 2024). "Róisin Garvey joins Ossian Smyth and Neasa Hourigan in race to become Green Party deputy leader". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  4. Hurley, Sandra (14 July 2024). "Garvey sees off Hourigan to become Green deputy leader". RTÉ News . Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Eamon Ryan to step down as Irish Green Party leader". BBC News. BBC. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  6. 1 2 Lehane, Mícheál (18 June 2024). "Ryan and Martin to step down from Green leadership roles". RTÉ News. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  7. "Key leader in Ireland's government quitting as Green Party chief". POLITICO. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  8. Ryan, Philip; McTaggart, Maeve (19 June 2024). "Green Party leadership: Supporters of Offaly farmer Pippa Hackett first out of the traps". the Irish Independent. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  9. Ryan, Philip; Monahan, Tabitha; Nolan, Darragh; Ndjonkou, Tessa (20 June 2024). "Taoiseach describes personal attacks on Eamon Ryan as 'unethical' and labels him a 'very good man'". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  10. Matthews, Sam (19 June 2024). "Kilkenny TD Malcolm Noonan won't seek Green Party leadership, endorses his colleague". Kilkenny People. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  11. McNally, Tadgh (18 June 2024). "Joe O'Brien considering Green leadership bid as TDs rule out replacing Eamon Ryan". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  12. McQuinn, Cormac (19 June 2024). "Green Party leader: Hackett announces she is entering race against O'Gorman". The Irish Times . Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  13. McTaggart, Maeve; Ryan, Philip; Downing, John (18 June 2024). "Push for Pippa Hackett to contest battle to replace Eamon Ryan as Catherine Martin to step down as deputy leader of Green Party". Irish Independent . Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  14. Ryan, Philip (19 June 2024). "The Green Party leadership race is on... Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman first to declare candidacy". Irish Independent . Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  15. Murphy, Barry (22 June 2022). "My Farming Week: Mark and Pippa Hackett, Ballinvoher, Geashill, Co Offaly". Irish Farmers Journal . Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  16. McTaggart, Maeve (19 June 2024). "'I believe in a fresh start' – Pippa Hackett confirms she will run for leader of the Green Party". Irish Independent . Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  17. O'Connell, Hugh (23 June 2024). "Greens' leadership hopeful sets sights on alliance with the left". The Sunday Times . Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  18. Matthews, Pippa [@pippa_hackett] (24 June 2024). "The Green Party is the Green Party. We are not the SDLGP. As leader I will work with any political party that is prepared to facilitate real environmental action" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 June 2024 via Twitter.
  19. Hurley, Sandra (14 July 2024). "Garvey sees off Hourigan to become Green deputy leader". RTÉ . Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  20. Quann, Jack (18 June 2024). "Catherine Martin to 'step back' as Green Party deputy leader". Newstalk. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  21. Nevin, Emma (18 June 2024). "Catherine Martin to step down as Green Party deputy leader and won't contest leadership race". Dublin Live. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  22. MacRedmond, David (8 July 2024). "Ossian Smyth pulls out of race to be Green Party deputy leader, saying it should be a woman". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  23. Horgan-Jones, Jack (14 July 2024). "Senator Róisín Garvey elected as Green Party's new deputy leader". The Irish Times . Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  24. MacRedmond, David (8 July 2024). "Ossian Smyth pulls out of race to be Green Party deputy leader, saying it should be a woman". The Journal. Retrieved 9 July 2024.