DEPUTY GREEN PARTY leader Catherine Martin has confirmed that she will contest Eamon Ryan for the leadership of the party.

Last month, she said she would give “serious consideration” to contesting the Green Party leadership after a number of Green Party councillors wrote to Martin urging her to challenge Ryan.

Martin today notified party members that she will be contesting the election.

Under Green Party rules, a vote to decide on who will be its leader must take place within six months of any general election.

Nominations for the leadership election opened last month.

Ballots will be sent to members at the beginning of July, with returns to be made by 22 July. The ballots will be counted on 23 July, it is understood.

Ryan and Martin were party allies in the last Dáil – they were the only two from their party elected, after all. With the Green Party getting a boost in February, it now holds 12 seats.

With growth comes differing viewpoints, and since there is now the prospect of the Green Party being tacked on to the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil coalition, divisions within the party have emerged.

These differences have mainly been seen between newly elected TDs and the old guard, like Ryan, about whether the coalition is a good idea.

The four Cork City and County councillors who want a change in leadership are Lorna Bogue, Oliver Moran, Colette Finn and Liam Quaide, who say that regardless of the outcome of government formation talks, they want a new leader.

Ryan has already stated that he will be putting his name forward.

Since the cracks appeared, a number of Green Party TDs have rallied behind Ryan such as Dublin West TD Roderic O’Gorman, Carlow Kilkenny TD Malcolm Noonan, Waterford TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh, Wicklow TD Steven Mathews as well as Senator Pippa Hackett.