Northern Irish parties to start talks amid Sinn Fein surge

Sinn Fein emerged from the election as the big victor, increasing its popular vote by almost 4 per cent.

Northern Ireland’s Assembly will not have a unionist majority for the first time in the province’s history after the bulk of results were declared Friday in snap elections that energised voters but could ultimately fail to resolve the deadlock that triggered them.

Long-simmering tensions between the two parties boiled over after Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein’s deputy first minister, quit his post in protest over a botched green energy subsidy scheme instigated by Arlene Foster, DUP’s first minister, when she was economy minister.

For Sinn Fein, the result utterly vindicates the decision to let the people speak over an RHI scandal and broader DUP approach to a power-sharing project which can only truly work if it is premised upon a genuine commitment to mutual respect and equality.

Sinn Fein’s leader Michelle O’Neill told journalists it was an “amazing day”.

Four former Northern Ireland Executive members – the SLDP’s Alex Attwood; the UUP’s Danny Kennedy and the DUP’s Nelson McCausland and Lord Morrow lost their seats in the election.

The largest party, the DUP, is running 38 – six fewer than previous year.

DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has insisted there is no question over Ms Foster’s future as party leader despite the party’s disappointing performance.

On Thursday voters in the six counties will go to the polls in an election that has been described in many circles as the most significant since the Good Friday Agreement that created the Northern Ireland Assembly nearly 20 years ago.

Despite the significance of the election result, its effect will hinge on the outcome of negotiations as the parties try to cobble together a new power-sharing Executive.

“The vote has increased”.

“Northern Ireland rarely changes very quickly – but I’m looking forward to a very interesting day. 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.

Taking over the administration of Northern Ireland is not a prospect likely to please British prime minister Theresa May, already fighting a renewed independence push from Scotland as she readies her Brexit launch at the end of the month.

“It sends a very strong message that the electorate were motivated by the message that we have led with over the past number of weeks”.

“As I have made clear repeatedly, no decisions now taken by the Scottish Parliament will be removed from them”, she said, after the SNP aired fears that London may take decisions over fisheries and farming policy – areas the government might look for compromise in European Union talks.