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Leader Eamon Ryan has said the Green Party\u2019s leadership contest will take place online in the next month now that a government has been formed.<\/p>\nLeader Eamon Ryan has said the Green Party\u2019s leadership contest will take place online in the next month now that a government has been formed.<\/p>\n
Deputy leader Catherine Martin announced that she would challenge Mr Ryan for the leadership last month.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be a contest but we both agreed that we shouldn\u2019t be thinking about it until after the Government is formed. Even in the next month when that contest takes places, both of us have a clear understanding is that our first job is doing our job in government,\u201d he told RT\u00c9\u2019s The Week In Politics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to get into our departments, get to grips with our brief and have our first Cabinet meeting on Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Ryan said the leadership campaigns will be conducted online so that he and Ms Martin will not have to travel around the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur party tradition or constitution says that we should have our leadership contest within six months of a general election. I don\u2019t think it is going to be divisive, I think it will help each of us to articulate our view as to where we are going \u2013 not just as a party but as a country and within government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Ryan also defended the regional and gender balance in the new Cabinet.<\/p>\n
Ministerial roles have been split across Fianna F\u00e1il, Fine Gael and the Greens, with the leaders of the three coalition parties agreeing to the appointments.<\/p>\n
Miche\u00e1l Martin is the new Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar will serve as Tanaiste and Mr Ryan will head a new climate action, communications networks and transport department.<\/p>\n
Four of the new cabinet ministers are women \u2013 Helen McEntee is the Justice Minister, first-time TD Norma Foley is Education Minister, Ms Martin is the Tourism and Sport Minister while Heather Humpreys is the Social Protection and Rural Affair Minister.<\/p>\n
The majority of the cabinet are from Dublin and Cork while there is no minister from the west coast of Ireland.<\/p>\n
Mr Ryan said: \u201cI don\u2019t think government can ignore any part of the country be it the south, east or west or any part.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is difficult to get that regional balance when you have three different parties so you\u2019re not picking for a full cabinet when you\u2019re making your selection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEach of the leaders was cognizant on the need for gender and regional balance, and it may not be perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n