Northern Ireland: Arlene Foster to lead power-sharing talks

From the moment that the UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said he would give his second preference to the SDLP things were shaping up.

“The massive shift towards nationalism in this election completely changes the landscape and most certainly brings the constitutional question to the foreground”, said Peter Shirlow, Director of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool. “We will vote in a post-sectarian election but it’s now clear it will not happen during the duration of my political career”, he said.

Another election will be called if a government cannot be formed within that time, and if no power-share agreement is made that power could return to the United Kingdom government for the first time in a decade. Her Stormont Castle counterpart Martin McGuinness was never left wanting in his efforts to build bridges but that approach needs to be broadened out so it permeates communities and not just the political class.

With the election results declared, the DUP and Sinn Féin now have three weeks to try and form a new administration.

The Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan spoke earlier to the leaders of the main parties, and with the Northern Secretary James Brokenshire.

The new Northern Ireland Assembly was taking shape on Friday (Mar 3) after snap elections that energised voters but ultimately could fail to resolve the deadlock that triggered them.

Overall, the legislature was cut from 108 to 90 members, meaning several veteran members of the assembly lost their seats.

It simply institutionalises the government of Northern Ireland as a division of the spoils between the Unionist and Nationalist sides.

McGuinness called for Foster to stand down while a full investigation could take place, when she refused, he tendered his resignation calling the Democratic Unionist Party’s position “arrogant” and lacking in credibility. Polls close at 2200 GMT but final results are not expected until Saturday.

Unsuccessful TUV Lagan Valley candidate Samuel Morrison has described the outcome of the Assembly election as “a catastrophic result for unionism”.

It was not a good election for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), although not as bad as it might look.

Sinn Fein dropped five, from 39 to 34.

The Alliance Party have increased their voteshare in this election and are likely to return their 8 MLAs, while People Before Profit, the Green Party and the TUV will all be represented in the Assembly. If the DUP form a grand coalition with other evangelical Christians in the Ulster Unionist Party and the Traditional Unionist Voice, blocking the reform is still possible but will be harder to enact.

Former first minister Peter Robinson has warned politicians to step back and avert a headlong rush towards the destruction of devolved government.

On Sunday, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams took aim at the Conservative Government in London, saying it is “part of the problem” of the political crisis in Northern Ireland, accusing No 10 of seeking to impose Brexit and refusing to implement agreements on the legacy of the Troubles. Thanks so much to the people of Mid Ulster who have come out, all 26,207 of you who have come out to return a strong Sinn Fein team.