Sinn Féin Vice-President Mary Lou McDonald and the party’s northern leader, Michelle O’Neill celebrate their party’s election success.
By Anthony Neeson
In what is being described as a watershed election in Northern Ireland, Unionism no longer has a majority at Stormont.
After a surge in support for Sinn Féin the party is now only one seat behind the Democratic Unionist Party, who lost ten seats in a dramatic election.
The SDLP held their own in Thursday’s historic Assembly poll and are now the third largest party at Stormont. The UUP lost six seats with party leader Mike Nesbitt resigning before the night was over.
With the number of seats up for grabs falling from 108 to 90, all parties were expecting to take a hit.
However, it was the unionist parties that were routed with the careers of some big names coming to an end.
Out of the 90 seats Unionism came back with 40 seats: 28 DUP, 10 UUP, one TUV and one Independent Unionist.
On the nationalist side, Sinn Féin won 27 seats and the SDLP 12. There are also eight Alliance MLAs, two Greens and one People Before Profit member of the next Stormont Assembly.
With negotiations starting this week involving the parties and the two governments, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams described the poll as a watershed election and said it had “brought an end to the unionists’ majority in the Assembly.”
“The notion of a perpetual unionist majority has been demolished,” Adams said.
The party’s northern leader Michelle O’Neill said: “In this election the public responded positively to Sinn Féin's message of equality, integrity and respect and returned us with a strengthened mandate and stronger republican representation in the Assembly.”
She added: "Sinn Féin is ready to enter negotiations on those principles and we want to see those negotiations start as soon as possible.”
With Sinn Féin adamant that they won’t support DUP leader Arlene Foster as First Minister while an inquiry into the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal remains under way, the DUP has been equally adamant in stating that Mrs. Foster will not be standing aside.
DUP MP Nigel Dodds said Foster had been through a “very difficult time.”
“It is not for other people to dictate who leads the DUP, it is for the people to decide and they did on Thursday,” he said.
If the Assembly does reconvene after talks between the parties there will be some notable absentees. The DUP lost Nelson McCausland, Lord Morrow and Emma Pengelly among their number, while the UUP lost veteran politician Danny Kennedy, as well as Sandra Overhand and Jo-Anne Dobson.
In West Belfast, where the SDLP no longer have a seat, the party’s Alex Attwood was an early casualty in the count, gaining just over 3,000 votes.
In Foyle, People Before Profit’s Eamonn McCann, who won his first election in May at the age of 73, also lost his seat.
