‘New leadership’ needed as Gormley quits
Mr Gormley emailed his party colleagues at the weekend and said a “completely new leadership” needed to take over.
The outgoing leader said he would not contest the post when the party conducts a mandatory review of its affairs following the recent electoral wipe-out.
Mr Boyle, meanwhile, said all outgoing members of the parliamentary party would remain active in the organisation but space had to be given for fresher voices.
The chairman of the party would not speculate on whether he would contest the position but said he would remain in his current role until his terms runs out in November.
“We need a period of reflection but we also need a degree of continuity in the party,” he said.
Under party rules, it is likely to take six months for a new leader to emerge and Mr Gormley will remain in place until then.
Mr Gormley took over as party leader in 2007 after Trevor Sargent resigned when the party opted to go into coalition with Fianna Fáil.
The new leader was immediately appointed environment minister in Bertie Ahern’s Cabinet and retained in the post until the Greens pulled out of Government in January.
He was spared calls to step down despite plummeting poll ratings ahead of the election and a bizarre internal agreement to rotate portfolios and positions mid-way through the coalition’s time in office.
With successive heavy losses in both local and national elections, the party will struggle to find a person within the political sphere with a sufficient profile to lead a national movement.
It lost all of its TDs in February and Mr Boyle admits the scramble to retain Seanad places will be “an uphill struggle”.
In 2009, the Greens held just three of their 18 county council seats across the country, Brian Meaney (Clare), Mark Dreary (Louth) and Malcolm Noonan (Kilkenny).
A large portion of its membership also left the party in stages because of three particular issues: the decision to go into Government, the position adopted on the Lisbon Treaty and the policy of supporting the creation of NAMA.
Following his own defeat in Dublin south east, Mr Gormley said he would not follow in the footsteps of his former adversary Michael McDowell and retire from politics completely.
He said he believed that the Green Party would regroup and recover.
Mr Gormley first contested a Dáil election for the Green Party in 1989 but it took him until 1997 before the people of Dublin south east gave him a mandate.
In the meantime he was voted onto Dublin City Council and went on to become the city’s lord mayor.
The party’s remaining members of the Oireachtas, its three outgoing senators, have until midday to decide if they will contest to win back their seats.
Galway’s Niall Ó Brolcháin has already declared his intention to seek reelection.
Mr Boyle said he would decide this morning whether to put his name forward.
