Eamon Ryan has been re-elected as the leader of the Green Party after winning 48 more votes than Deputy Leader Catherine Martin.

The Dublin Bay South TD picked up 994 votes from his party members, with Minister Martin winning 946.

Some 2923 members were eligible to vote; however over 66.7% of the ballots that were sent out were returned.

Speaking after the results were announced, Minister Ryan said the contest recognised that there is “loads of leadership in our party.”

“It was a really close result, there are no two ways about that,” he said. “The numbers were tight it could have gone either way.”

“I will reflect that, as I think I have in the last night years in making sure, Catherine, that you are there showing real leadership and having real responsibility for the difficult job we have ahead of us.”

He said the country is facing tough times but insisted the Green Party is up to the challenge.

“The way we ran this campaign, the way we allow for really close contests without it becoming divisive is maybe something that would be a good quality we can bring into our work in Government,” he said.

“I am committed to doing everything I can to try and help this party and in doing that help our country and our people through what is a remarkably challenging period.”

Green Party Deputy Leader Catherine Martin outside the Cabinet meeting in Dublin Castle, 23-07-2020. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews

Minister Martin said her supporters had run a great campaign and injected ‘new ideas and new energy’ into the party.

“We put forward a proposal for a new style of leadership based around real collaboration, team-building and an emphasis on the fact that the Green Party is not about the work of any one person but all of us together,” she said.

“We are stronger as party for having had this discussion.”

She said she would continue to support Minister Ryan’s leadership and said she looks forward to “working alongside you to continue to bring us from strength to strength.”

“I ask all members to fully and actively support you as leader,” she said.

She said she is confident Minister Ryan will “listen to the concerns that have been expressed” about the party during the campaign.

“We have heard that our party needs change,” she said. “Structural change to cope with the enormous increase in members and staff and cultural change to untie and heal the division that have been caused in recent months.”

She said the current Government would be judged by “whether or not we succeed in achieving a fairer and greener society.”