THE PROCESS TO elect a new leader of the Labour Party is getting underway following the resignation of Alan Kelly, who decided to step down on Wednesday.

Kelly resigned due to the party having lost collective confidence in him as leader, due to stagnant polling numbers and some concerns about his leadership style.

With just seven TD’s, the favourites for the leadership were Duncan Smith, who was elected in 2020, and Ivana Bacik, who won the Dublin Bay South by-election in 2021.

Earlier this week, Smith ruled himself out of the leadership contest and proposed Ivana Bacik as the next leader.

Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Smith said “it was not the right time” for him and that he was backing Bacik. 

“For me, it’s not the right time for me personally but secondly, and more importantly, I don’t believe I’m the best candidate for the job out of the current crop of TDs.”

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who previously ran against Kelly for the leadership in 2020 after the resignation of Brendan Howlin, also ruled himself out earlier this week and backed Bacik.

This leaves Bacik as the runaway favourite to be the next leader of the party.

Currently, Kelly is remaining as acting leader until the successor is chosen by the party.

Nominations for the leadership are set to close on 24 March.

Under the party’s rules, if only one candidate is put forward, they will be deemed elected on 24 March, but if contested a formal vote will take place on 22 April.