The leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland has insisted they are "not just Alliance with a greener message".
Mal O'Hara accepted they need to "clearly articulate those differences" after the Greens lost both their Stormont Assembly seats to the Alliance Party in elections last year.
The North Belfast councillor argued Alliance is a "centre/centre-right" party whereas the Greens are "left or centre-left".
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He pointed to Alliance's voting record in the past on legalising same-sex marriage, which he described as "marginally over 50%" while the Green Party's was "always 100% in support".
The LGBT campaigner added: "They voted against the trade union laws. It was straight after the Assembly election they were calling for the suspension of bus lanes, and also some of their elected members were touring private healthcare facilities, which can undermine the NHS and health and social care in Northern Ireland.
"So I think we need to clearly articulate those differences, that we're not just Alliance with a greener message, but we're actually on the left or centre-left and Alliance aren't. And I think that's a clear difference to articulate between us and them."
In an interview with Belfast Live ahead of the Green Party's annual conference this weekend, Mr O'Hara said he has "a lot of respect" for people in Alliance and described Naomi Long is a "fantastic leader".
"But I think as a party, we're different and I think we need to clearly articulate our differences from them," he added.
Mr O'Hara said they were disappointed the Green vote was "squeezed" in the Assembly election, with both their MLAs including then leader Clare Bailey losing their seats.
But referencing a lift in recent opinion polls, he expressed hope that the party's message of a "greener, cleaner, fairer Northern Ireland" will resonate with voters in May's council election.
Mr O'Hara praised Ms Bailey, who lost her Assembly seat in South Belfast, but confirmed she has "stepped back from the party" and will not be standing for them in the election.
He said the party has a "whole generation of new activists coming through" and their membership has increased compared to this time last year.
Mr O'Hara said the party, which in 2019 doubled its council seat tally to eight, will be standing "more candidates than ever" in May.
He added: "I think that symbolises new energy and new ideas within the party."
Mr O'Hara expressed confidence that he can retain his seat in the Castle area of North Belfast, which is shaping up to be a key battleground for several parties.
He said: "I think I can point to delivery in parts of North Belfast helping local residents, working with community groups, community organisations, helping to regenerate parts of the city, and I think people will recognise that and endorse me on May 18."
Mr O'Hara hit out at decision-making delays in Stormont's Department for Infrastructure and renewed calls for local transport powers to be devolved to Belfast City Council.
He said: "It's a ridiculous anomaly that Belfast doesn't control local transport powers. Any other city our size on this island or in Britain would control those powers and be able to set decisions about public transport infrastructure."
The councillor said it "took nearly two years" of campaigning to pedestrianise part of Union Street in the city centre "because we're reliant on the Department for Infrastructure".
"If we controlled those powers in Belfast, then we could affect change at a much quicker pace," he added.
He described an increase in Translink fares as "completely counterintuitive to a climate and biodiversity crisis".
Mr O'Hara did not say whether his party supports any increase in Belfast City Council off-street parking charges, calling instead for a "review" of the city's car parking strategy.
He added: "We want to build communities, not car parks. Belfast has far too many car parks when what we need is a living city centre population, mixed communities, private housing, social housing, affordable housing, which can help people living in the city centre.
"They don't need cars - they have all the services and amenities that they need. And that creates a vibrant and regenerated city core."
The Green Party in Northern Ireland is part of the Irish Green Party, which is in a three-way coalition government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the Irish Republic.
Mr O'Hara, who opposed the coalition deal, distanced himself from the decisions of Greens in the Dublin administration.
He said: "I'm the Green Party leader in Northern Ireland and I can only be accountable for the Green Party and our elected representatives and members in Northern Ireland."
He added: "I had concerns about going into government with two ostensibly centre-right parties, but that's a decision for the Green Party in Ireland and I'll be focusing on the Green Party in Northern Ireland."
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