Greens back motion to request Hazel Chu to step aside as chair

Parliamentary party votes 11 to 5 to ask Lord Mayor of Dublin to step aside for duration of Seanad election

Party colleagues' motion of no confidence in Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu was replaced with a vote to request that she step aside from her role as Green Party chairperson during the Seanad election process. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The Green Party has voted in favour of a motion requesting that Hazel Chu temporarily step aside as party chair.

During what was described as a "fraught" meeting of the party, deputy leader Catherine Martin disagreed with leader Eamon Ryan on the issue.

Ms Chu sparked controversy after she announced her intention to run in the Seanad by-election without the backing of the party. This resulted in a number of members lodging a motion of no confidence in her, which was later withdrawn.

The motion, which passed by 11 votes to five a meeting of the parliamentary party (PP), asked that Ms Chu stand down as party chair for the duration of the by-election.

It is understood that Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin urged members not to press ahead with the motion and said the deepening divisions within the party must end. Ms Martin made a number of contributions during which she said any decision made by the PP would not be binding.

Ms Martin said members who wished to proceed with the request should instead ask the party executive to deal with it.

Other members of the party argued that the vote should go ahead including Green leader Eamon Ryan.

Those in favour of the vote said it would carry particular weight if it received a "super majority". This later came to pass when the motion was backed by more than two-thirds of the PP.

Mr Ryan said it was important that the PP express their opinion on the matter. He said the parliamentary party was the place where decisions were previously made on political matters and this was very much a political issue.

It is understood he said sometimes the party must and make decisions stand by decisions, even if they are difficult or uncomfortable ones, but added that more of these types of decisions would be required.

Senator Roisín Garvey said the party wouldn't have been forced to take the vote if Ms Chu had "done the right thing" and recused herself while she takes part in the Seanad campaign.

It is understood Senator Pauline O'Reilly said it was up to the PP to restore a level of confidence in the functioning of the party. She added that Green TDs and senators now need to operate as a team and not a bunch of Independents.

The debate lasted around 40 minutes before the motion went to a vote.

Ms Chu, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, submitted her nomination for the Industrial and Commercial Panel in the upcoming Seanad by-election last week

That decision angered some in the leadership and three Green Party Senators — Pippa Hackett, Róisín Garvey and Pauline O'Reilly — tabled a motion of no confidence in her chairwomanship of the party.

That motion was replaced with one that passed which asked that "the Oireachtas Parliamentary Party requests that the Party’s Chairperson steps aside from the duties/roles associated with being Chairperson for the duration of the Seanad election process".

Ahead of the vote sources had said that the motion was seen as a compromise and an attempt to diffuse the internal row that has been caused by the by-election. However, those at the meeting claimed that there were tetchy exchanges and described it as "fraught".