The Natural Law Party in the Republic and Northern Ireland will not put forward candidates at future elections. The decision follows a meeting of European Natural Law Party leaders where it was agreed the party, based in over 80 countries, would take a different approach.
"We are not going to achieve anything in politics until we change people's consciousness," said Mr John Burns, leader of the party in the Republic. He said the party would achieve its aims for natural methods in farming, health, education and the use of transcendental meditation to relieve stress.
The party has been active in the Republic since 1994 and has some 250 members. Some 25 people have stood at elections. Mr Burns has stood in two European elections and one by election in the Republic. He has also stood for election in Northern Ireland. He said party candidates received 7,000 first preference votes in the last European election.