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Green Party leader Eamon Ryan announces he’s stepping down to ‘pass the torch’ & won’t be standing in election
It comes off the back of disastrous local and European elections results for the Greens
GREEN Party leader Eamon Ryan is stepping down to "pass the torch" to a new generation of leaders.
The Dublin politician made the announcement outside the Dail this afternoon.
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He said he will not be standing in the next general election.
Ryan, who was first elected into the Dail in 2002, will remain as Minister for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport until a new party leader is appointed.
The Dublin TD informed his Cabinet colleagues today and the Greens’ parliamentary party about his decision.
In a press conference outside Leinster House, Ryan said: "I'm here today to announce that I intend stepping down as the leader of the Green Party, Comhaontas Glas, and that I will not be standing in the next general election.
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"I've spent the last 30 years either running for or holding public office as a councillor, TD and government minister.
"It's been an absolute privilege, and I want to thank the electorate who voted for me on eight different occasions over those years, giving me the opportunity to serve our city and our country to the best of my ability.
"I'm stepping down to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders, confident in the strength and values I've seen built up in our party over all these years.
"Our policy will now elect a new leader to take the party forward from here and our own local group will now select a candidate to run in Dublin Bay South.
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"I will continue as party leader and in my ministerial roles until a new leader is appointed, and look forward to fulfilling whatever role a new leader assigns me for the remaining terms of this government."
Continuing his speech, Eamon Ryan said: "I am confident this Government can go the full term, despite this second change in party leadership.
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"Our coalition was formed with the most detailed programme for government negotiated by the three parties and not just the leadership.
"Our focus should remain on providing affordable housing, healthcare reform and climate action in the coming months.
"There will have to be good reason to leave such important work undone.
"It was an honour to lead our parliamentary party who've shown great resilience and good humour in meeting all the challenges we've had to face together."
Ryan added: "While we've had our differences, our government has maintained a spiritual collaboration in making many difficult decisions."
It comes off the back of disastrous local and European elections results for the Greens where both of the party’s MEPs failed to keep their seats and the party lost more than half of its local councillors.
Eamon Ryan has served as leader of the Green Party for over ten years and successfully saw off a leadership bid from Catherine Martin following the last general election.
In the local elections, the party saw its local council numbers drop from 49 seats to just 23.
Ryan is the second coalition leader to step down after Leo Varadkar resigned as Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach earlier this year.
Varadkar, who became the youngest and first openly-gay Taoiseach of Ireland in 2017 at the age of 38, said he had come to the decision after "much soul searching" and that his work in politics had been the most "fulfilling time of my life".
Alluding to the tougher side of politics, Varadkar said "we give it everything and then we have to move on".
He said: "On a personal level, I have enjoyed being Taoiseach, Leader and a Cabinet member since March 2011.
"I have learned so much about so many things, met people who I would never have got to meet, been to places I would never have seen, both home and abroad.
"I am deeply grateful for it and would wholeheartedly recommend a career in politics to anyone considering it.
"However, politicians are human beings. We have our limitations.
"We give it everything until we can’t anymore and then we have to move on.
"I will, of course, continue to fulfil my duties as Taoiseach until a new Taoiseach is elected and will remain as a constituency TD for Dublin West."
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