Thanasis Gavos, London
Sinn Fein becomes the first nationalist party in Northern Ireland to win national elections in the country’s 101-year history, beating the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Thursday’s parliamentary election.
With only two of the 90 seats in the local Stormont National Assembly remaining until the count is completed, the party that was once the political wing of the Irish Democratic Army had secured 27 seats on Saturday night against 24 of the DUP.
Sinn Fein’s victory could cause a constitutional earthquake in the United Kingdom, as the party’s ultimate goal is secession from the Crown and union with the Republic of Ireland.
Sinn Féin’s President Mary Lou McDonald did not hide her ambition to hold a referendum on joining the southern part of the Irish island, saying that such a vote could be planned within five years.
In a statement, Michelle O’Neill, the party’s vice-president, who is expected to be the new Prime Minister, the first Republican Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, spoke of “a very important moment of change”.
Under Good Friday Peace Agreement, governance in Northern Ireland is exercised jointly by the largest parties in each community. This means that in order for Sinn Féin to lead the local government, the DUP will have to accept the appointment of a Deputy Prime Minister.
The leader of the largest party in the union, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, however, refrained from clarifying what he intends to do.
The DUP had ousted Northern Ireland’s local government in February over its reactions to the Brexit Protocol, which has created a regulatory border between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. The DUP, which supports Northern Ireland’s stay under the Crown, has spoken of undermining Northern Ireland’s position in the United Kingdom over the provisions of the protocol.
Sir Jeffrey has said that until he sees how the British government will resolve the issues arising from the Northern Ireland Protocol, it will not be possible for a local government to function.
If no government is formed, new elections could be held in six months or another solution could be found by British Prime Minister Brandon Lewis.
Also noteworthy is the support in the elections of the Alliance Party (Alliance), which ranks third with 17 seats. The party identifies itself neither as a unionist nor as a nationalist, which indicates that more and more voters are moving away from the two traditional and hostile factions.
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