Eamon Ryan has announced that he is stepping down as leader of Ireland's Green Party.
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Transport confirmed that he will not be contesting the next General Election, which must take place within the next eight months. Ryan took over as leader of the Greens in 2011.
“This is a decision I came to a while ago, but the time wasn’t quite right to announce it,” he said.
“We are into a new political cycle now. The local and European elections have been completed and while the next election won’t happen immediately, it is something that every party will be preparing for over the coming weeks and months.
“This is a good time to hand over to a new leader, who can bring a new perspective, and new way of doing things to the job.”
Taoiseach Simon Harris said Ryan had informed him of his decision on Monday.
“Eamon is a politician of enormous standing and I want to pay tribute to him and his family for everything they have given Irish politics through his leadership of the Greens. I respect and understand his decision,” Harris said.
And he added: “Eamon is a genuine, passionate and inherently decent person who brings those same qualities to politics. The leadership of the Green Party is now a matter for the party’s members and rules.
The government’s work continues and the Programme for Government between the three coalition parties will continue to be implemented.”
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: “This is a government of substance and Eamon was key to making sure it was a government of substance in terms of policy and ensuring there was a very significant Green agenda across the board.”
Attention now turns to who will be the new leader of the Greens with Catherine Martin, who has served as Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media since 2020, initially seen as a front-runner. However, Martin said Tuesday that she would not be in the running for the party leadership.
