The contest for the next leader of the Green Party sees Pippa Hackett and Roderic O’Gorman, the two aspirants, achieving the necessary 50 nominations needed to join the race. Although the period for nomination is open till Monday night, it is anticipated that these two will be the only candidates to supersede Eamon Ryan, who declared his upcoming resignation from leadership earlier this week.
In terms of backing from Oireachtas members, Hackett, also a Minister of State for Agriculture and Co Offaly farmer, has surpassed O’Gorman. She has the open support of five TDs or Senators, while four support O’Gorman. Nevertheless, Hackett is still behind in terms of total endorsed representatives.
Senator Róisín Garvey, based in Clare, declared her support for Ms Hackett in a social media post on platform X, noting Hackett’s readiness to lead the party and her early morning diligence. Garvey also highlighted the importance of ‘rural and regional balance’.
Supporters have been contrasting Hackett’s rural background to O’Gorman, who like the previous leader Ryan, is also Dublin-based. However, O’Gorman, the Minister for Children and Integration has countered that the party’s appeal in rural Ireland doesn’t hinge on leadership from outside of Dublin.
Although Hackett’s team is convinced five of the party’s elected councillors support her, O’Gorman has received declared backing from thirteen councillors. Regardless, the selection of the party leader on July 8th will ultimately be determined by its 4,000 members, with each entitled to a vote, as confirmed by the party’s Northern Ireland leader, Senator Malachaí O’Hara, who has stated that he will not be publicly supporting any candidate.