By early evening, with just two seats left to be allocated, Sinn Fein had 27 seats, three more than its main pro-British rival, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), according to official results.
” This day marks a very important moment of change. This is a defining moment for our politics and for our people. »
It is the first time that the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which for decades fought the British military, is in a position to lead Northern Ireland after a century of Unionist rule and Protestant since the creation of the province in 1921.
It’s time to have a healthy debate
on the question of the reunification of Ireland, estimated Michelle O’Neill, while a majority of Northern Irish people (56%) had voted against Brexit and the effective exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU) resulted in the establishment of a de facto border between the province and Great Britain.
the DUP leave a doubt
the DUP did not say its last word, however, the 1998 Good Friday Peace Accords, which ended the civil war, providing that a Nationalist Prime Minister cannot lead the province without a Unionist Deputy Prime Minister.
However, the DUP casts doubt on his readiness to share power with Sinn Fein. Its leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, said on Saturday that his party’s decision would depend on London reforming the northern irish protocols
that have governed trade with the EU and Britain since Brexit.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to deliver a speech on the matter next week. In the absence of a government agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUPit would again fall to London to run the affairs of Northern Ireland (direct rule“,”text”:”direct rule”}}’>direct rule), as has been widely the case in recent years.
