Sinn Féin secures most seats in historic North Ireland elections

For the first time, Sinn Féin will be the leading party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, moving the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to second place.

Sinn Féin currently has 27 seats, whereas the DUP has 24.

As a result, Michelle O’Neill will be able to become Prime Minister, a first for a nationalist.

Earlier, Ms. O’Neill described the election as a “defining moment for our politics and for our people.”

“Today ushers in a new era which I believe presents us all with an opportunity to reimagine relationships in this society on the basis of fairness, on the basis of equality and on the basis of social justice,” she continued.

Since Northern Ireland’s formation in 1921, a unionist party has held the majority of Stormont seats.

The DUP may only return with 25 seats.

The Alliance Party has returned 17 MLAs, more than tripling its previous total in 2017.

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has so far produced nine MLAs, whereas the SDLP has returned eight.

The final remaining seat in the Foyle constituency is still being counted.

Thirty-two of the MLAs elected are women, compared to 27 in the previous election.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said he will meet with party leaders in the coming days to discuss restoring Stormont institutions “as soon as feasible.”

“I encourage the parties to form an executive as soon as possible. The people of Northern Ireland deserve a stable and accountable local government that delivers on the issues that matter most to them,” he said.

The executive fell apart in February after DUP assembly member Paul Givan resigned as first minister.

Because the positions of first and deputy first minister are part of a combined office, the change also removed Michelle O’Neill from her post.

Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister, said a new power-sharing executive was “essential for development and prosperity for everybody in Northern Ireland.”

“It is now incumbent on all political parties and elected representatives to deliver on their mandate, through the nomination of a first and deputy first minister and the formation of a new executive to serve the interests of all of the people of Northern Ireland.”

The US State Department called for the parties “to take the necessary steps to re-establish a power-sharing executive”.

“Critical and immediate challenges concerning the economy, health, and education are best addressed through the collective efforts of a devolved government chosen by, and accountable to, its people,” said Ned Price.

Although Sinn Féin may now designate a first minister, they cannot assume office until the DUP, the unionist bloc’s largest party, agrees to name a deputy first minister.

Its head, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, has not yet decided whether the party would do so.

On Saturday, the DUP leader stated that his party will respect the election results, but that the Northern Ireland Protocol needed to be changed.

The protocol is a component of the United Kingdom’s Brexit deal with the European Union that preserves Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market for goods.

Some unionists claim that the convention established a commercial border between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.

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