Catherine Martin giving 'serious consideration' to Green leadership bid
Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin has confirmed she will give "serious consideration" to contesting the party's forthcoming leadership election.
Her comments will only add to pressure on party leader Eamon Ryan who is now in a battle to retain control of his newly expanded party.
She insisted that her "focus remains on the crucial government formation talks".
"I believe it is important that government formation talks fully conclude uninterrupted and that any leadership campaign happens subsequently,” she said.
Her statement follows the call from four Read More: Cork party councillors for her to contest the leadership position. A contest for the leadership must happen within six months of a General Election under party rules.
The letter from councillors Oliver Moran, Lorna Bogue, Liam Quaide and Colette Finn, details of which were published in the on Wednesday morning, said Mr Ryan is no longer the right person to lead the party.
Cllr Bogue, defending her decision to back Ms Martin, said there is Read More: nothing “House of Cards" like about a move by four Cork councillors to encourage Catherine Martin to challenge for the leadership.
Ms Bogue insisted that they are just trying to do what is right for the party.
Cllr Bogue says that the Green Party constitution mandates that a leadership election must occur within six months of a General Election.
She said the people who wrote the constitution could never have foreseen a situation where the country would be six months from an election and without a Government.
"Unfortunately (the leadership election) is not a time of our choosing. In the middle of (Government) negotiations is definitely not the best time to be doing this. It is something that is mandated by our constitution that we have to have one (a contest) within six months of a General Election.
"It has to be held and done and dusted in six months so we have to open up nominations and that takes a few weeks for those to be left open. June or July we will be having the vote."
In an interview with the , on Cork's 96FM, Cllr Bogue emphasised that it was not a question of them having no confidence in Mr Ryan.
"We are all very grateful to Eamon and we think he has done a really brilliant job over the last ten years bringing us to the position where we currently are at. If you think a week is a long time in politics ten years is a very long time
I suppose we are just looking at Catherine. We know there is going to be a leadership election and we are just encouraging her to go for it.
