Sinn Fein has become the leading party in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time in history, raising major questions about the future of the U.K. territory.
A man walks past a mural of Irish unity in Northern Ireland. The photo was taken by Charles McQuillan.
The pro-U.K. Democratic Unionist Party had two Assembly races not yet called, while Sinn Fein had three.
This will be the first time a non-U.K. unionist party will be tasked with forming a Northern Irish government since the partition of Ireland in 1921.
The positions of first minister and deputy first minister in Northern Ireland are split between the largest U.K. unionist party and Irish nationalist party.
The Democratic Unionist Party might not fill the deputy first minister position.
The Alliance Party, which seeks to cross the traditional Catholic-Protestant divisions and focus on quality of life issues, came in third in the elections.
The end goal of Sinn Fein is a united Ireland, but the issue appeared far from the forefront during the campaign, which focused on more immediate issues like inflation. Customs checks on goods delivered from the rest of the U.K. were unpopular with U.K. unionists. Mary Lou McDonald, leader of Sinn Fein, said Friday that a referendum on Irish unification may take five years to organize.
The vice president of Sinn Fein said Saturday that she was committed regardless of religious, political or social background.
Irish nationalists have battled the U.K. for full control of Ireland for more than a century, and Sinn Fein's win is considered a huge milestone. The Irish Republican Army fought against the British in the Irish War of Independence from 1919 to 1921 before carrying out guerrilla attacks against British military and civilian installations during the Troubles.
Sinn Fein won the Northern Ireland vote.
Sinn Fein is expected to win the Northern Ireland election.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
