New minister Catherine Martin to challenge for Green Party leadership
By Maurice Garvey
THE Green Party will begin election hustings next week for the leadership election between current leader Eamon Ryan and deputy leader Catherine Martin – the new Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, reports Maurice Garvey.
Ms Martin, a Dublin Rathdown TD and wife of Dublin South West TD Francis Noel Duffy (GP), announced that she would challenge Mr Ryan for the leadership last month.
Minister Catherine Martin with husband Francis Noel Duffy and children Turlough, Tadhg and Stella at the election count centre in Citywest in February
Although Martin ultimately backed the programme for government after opposing the opening of negotiations with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, many of her supporters were strongly opposed to entering coalition with FF/FG.
The party membership backed the proposal by 76 per cent to 24 per cent last week.
With the coalition now in place, insiders are tipping incumbent Eamonn Ryan to hold onto his position as leader of the party.
Mr Ryan said the leadership campaigns will be conducted online so that he and Ms Martin will not have to travel around the country.
A series of online hustings will begin next Tuesday (July 7).
Ballot papers will be sent out to party members in the first week of July, and the final date for the return of ballots will be Wednesday, July 22.
The election count will take place on Thursday, July 23.
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