By Kenneth Fox
Eamon Ryan will remain as Green Party leader after beating out his closest rival and party deputy Catherine Martin.
While Ms Martin said it was "really hard to call,” privately sources from within the party conceded she was unlikely to succeed in her bid to oust Mr Ryan.
The Greens helped form a new three-way coalition Government last month and have forced measures to combat global warming and sustainable transport into the spotlight.
Both candidates have held their party roles since 2011.
They are divided over whether experience is essential for the leadership role, while Ms Martin wants to promote more women to ministerial positions.
Ballots in the leadership contest were issued to 2,336 party members in the Republic and 598 members in Northern Ireland.
The Green Party recorded its best ever general election result back in February, winning 12 seats – an improvement of 10 from 2016.
It has entered into Government with larger rivals Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, who buried their differences in an historic realignment of politics to face a left-leaning opposition led by Sinn Fein.
Among the pledges of the new Government is achieving an average 7%-a-year reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030, representing a 51% reduction over the decade, with the aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
