For the first time, a party which does not want Northern Ireland to exist has topped a pro-British, unionist party. The DUP recorded its worst election result since 1998
A CENTURY AFTER Ireland was partitioned, nationalists have not managed to remove the border separating north and south. But in elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly on May 5th, they achieved something which would have been incomprehensible to the province’s founding fathers., a party which once was the political wing of the Irish Republican Army , has emerged as Northern Ireland’s largest party, leaving its rivals trailing.
The main pro-British party, the Democratic Unionist Party , recorded its worst result since 1998. Its share of the vote fell from 28% in the last election in 2017 to 21% in this one, and it lost two former government ministers in the process. The votes that the DUP lost were largely gobbled up by the small Traditional Unionist Voice , which tripled its share to more than 7%. That symbolises a hardening of unionist attitudes.
That is because the DUP is the most reluctant to make Northern Ireland work in the short term. It pulled down the devolved government in February and has previously said that it will veto any new administration unless the protocol goes. Throughout the campaign, it refused to say if it would accept Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin’s deputy leader, as Northern Irelands first minister.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘A lifetime waiting for this day’: crowds celebrate historic Sinn Féin victorySupporters hail new era as party of Irish republicanism becomes the biggest in Northern Ireland
Read more »
Historic win for Sinn Fein as it becomes biggest party in Northern IrelandSinn Fein has become the biggest party in Northern Ireland, securing a historic victory for the nationalists.
Read more »
Sinn Fein on course to become biggest party in Northern Ireland AssemblySinn Fein look set for a historic victory in the Northern Ireland Assembly election, after receiving the most first-preference votes.
Read more »
Sinn Fein becomes biggest party in Northern Ireland after historic winVoters flocked to the polls to elect 90 new members of the Legislative Assembly, with Sinn Fein winning a lion's share of the seats. But in a system reliant on power-sharing with the unionists, the DUP has already indicated it could boycott the government.
Read more »