Green leadership contest under way

Former government minister Eamon Ryan is to contest the leadership of the Green Party, he announced today.

Mr Ryan and Kilkenny Councillor Malcolm Noonan have put their names forward as challengers for the role and others are expected to declare over the coming days.

Green Party chairman Senator Dan Boyle and former TD Ciarán Cuffe are among other possible candidates expected to throw their hat into the ring.

Once candidates are nominated, the leadership election will be via a postal ballot with eligible members being sent their ballots on May 9th for return by noon on Friday, May 27th.

The election for deputy leader will take place at the party convention on June 11th.

Mr Ryan was first elected to the Dáil for Dublin South in 2002. Following the Green Party decision to go into government in 2007, he was appointed as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. He lost his seat in the recent general election.

A community and environmental activist for over 20 years, Malcolm Noonan is on his second term as a Kilkenny county councillor. He was re-elected in 2009 with a higher first preference vote than he had received on his first outing. He recently concluded his term as Mayor of Kilkenny city.

The Greens had six TDs and employed between 40 and 50 staff when in government with Fianna Fáil, but staffing fell to about 20 after the party pulled out of overnment in January. State funding will run out later in the year and will not be renewed because the party failed to poll over the 2 per cent required for such support.

The party recently announced it intended to seek up to €100,000 in a fundraising drive to keep the party afloat.