The chairman of the Green Party's national executive committee has resigned from the party.
The resignation was confirmed this morning by the Green Party, which said Gary Fitzgerald has worked with the organisation in a voluntary capacity.
Mr Fitzgerald made his decision to leave the party in protest over the EU-IMF bailout deal.
I strongly object to the terms of the bailout," he told The Irish Times.
"I don't think the bailout will lead to national recovery. I think the interest rate we have to pay is too high and I believe borrowing that much money and transferring it straight to the banks without bondholders not having to follow the rules of the game, is untenable."
"It's a recipe for a disorderly national default on our sovereign debt with all the dreadful consequences that will follow from that," he added.
Mr Fitzgerlad was the Green Party's representative for Cabra-Glasnevin, having joined the party in 2002
He has held a number of roles in the party including working in the European Parliament in 2003 and writing the transportation policy for the 2007 general election. He was also Mary White's general election campaign manager in 2002.
Mr Fitzgerald said he still intended to play an active role in politics in the future.
"I intend to participate in our political system to try to do what I can to aid national recovery. The first step in that has to be massive poltical reform so as to stop a similar situation occuring again and again."
