The 2002 Fine Gael leadership election began in May 2002, when Michael Noonan

Michael Noonan

Michael Noonan is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has been the Minister for Finance since March 2011. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Limerick East and later Limerick City constituencies since 1981....

 resigned as party leader due to the party's poor performance in the 2002 general election

Irish general election, 2002

The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...

. Noonan had only been party leader for little over fifteen months. His successor was elected by the members of the Fine Gael

Fine Gael

Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

 parliamentary party on 5 June 2002. After one ballot the election was won by Enda Kenny

Enda Kenny

Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...

. Kenny defeated Richard Bruton

Richard Bruton

Richard Bruton is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has been a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North Central constituency since 1982. He was appointed as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on 9 March 2011...

, Gay Mitchell

Gay Mitchell

Gabriel "Gay" Mitchell is an Irish politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency since 2004. He is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party, and a former Teachta Dála for the Dublin South Central constituency from 1981–2007. He was defeated by...

 and Phil Hogan

Phil Hogan

Phil Hogan is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency since 1989, and is the current Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.-Early and private life:...

.