Boyle coy on Green Party leadership ambitions
Green Party Chairman Dan Boyle says he can understand why John Gormley no longer wants to be the leader of the party.
The former Environment Minister has emailed colleagues to say that the party needs new leadership and to reinvent itself.
The Green Party lost all six of its Dáil seats in last month's election .
The party now has no TDs, no senators and just three County Councillors.
Senator Boyle was staying tight lipped as to whether or not he would be interested in becoming the new leader of the party.
"I’m not even sure what I’m doing tomorrow morning," said Senator Boyle.
"I have responsibilities within the party already – I’m party chair, my term of office is there until November, I’m a member of the Seanad until the end of April.
"Tomorrow I have to decide whether I want to put myself forward in the election process and I think whatever happens internally in the Green Party will take several months to decide, and I think a lot of people will be talking to each other before we even get to that stage."
Under its rules the party must hold a leadership contest within six months of a General Election.
Senator Niall O Brolchain said Mr Gormley feels it is time for a change.
“The election performances of the party haven’t been exactly very positive, the local election and the recent national election,” the Senator said.
“He had decided himself that it is time for him to go. I think there will be a lot of respect for that decision.
“Obviously there was a bit of a punishing time in Government.”
Mr O Brolchain said the former environment minister had been considering his future as leader since the election.
Mr Gormley won a ballot of members to become leader in July 2007, taking over the helm from Trevor Sargent.
The party is due to hold a meeting next Saturday to discuss the election result and chart the way forward.
Under the party’s constitution a leader’s term in office runs for five years.
