IRELAND: Ryan To Step Down As Greens Ldr, Unlikely To Affect Coalition Gov't

Local press reporting that Eamon Ryan, leader of the environmentalist Green party and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, is set to step down as party leader after 13 years in the role. Due to speak ~1230BST. Ryan's resignation is not expected to destabilise the governing coalition. The Greens sit as the smallest party in the tripartite coalition gov't alongside Taoiseach (PM) Simon Harris' centre-right Fine Gael (FG) and Tanaiste (Deputy PM) Micheal Martin's centrist Fianna Fail (FF). 

• Ryan will be the second coalition party leader to step down in quick order following former FG head Leo Varadkar's resignation in April. The Green party suffered chastening results in the 7 June elections, losing both of its members of the European Parliament and 26 of the 49 seats it held at the local level. 
• RTE reports that Ryan is expected to continue in his role as Environment Minister. Report claims that Deputy party leader Catherine Martin is the favourite to take over as head of the Greens. 
• The next general election is not due until March 2025 at the latest, but there has been speculation that Harris may seek to bring this forward given the slump in polling and poor EP election peformance for the left-wing Irish republican Sinn Fein. Such an action would be a gamble, given that FF and the Greens are polling below their 2020 vote share totals, risking the coalition not being able to carry a majority.