Sinn Fein has become the largest party in local government in Northern Ireland for the first time after making large gains in the council elections.
Of the 462 seats across 11 councils, Sinn Fein won 144 seats, an increase of 39 from the last council election in 2019.
It overtook the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which won 122 seats, the same number as in 2019.
Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill said on Saturday that the results are “momentous.”
The Irish nationalist party—which used to be the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA)—will be the largest party in six local government areas, including Belfast, while the DUP will have the largest representation in five councils.
It secured 30.9 percent of first preference votes, ahead of the DUP on 23.3 percent.
It means Sinn Fein has replicated its result from last year’s Northern Ireland Assembly election when it became the biggest party at Stormont.
The cross-community Alliance Party increased its representation on councils by winning 67 seats, an increase of 14.
But it was a disappointing election for the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP, with both parties suffering significant losses.
Stormont Stalemate
The elections took place against the backdrop of the continuing stalemate at Stormont.Northern Ireland has not had a functioning local government at Stormont for over a year since the DUP withdrew from the power-sharing executive in protest at the terms of the post-Brexit trading arrangements.
O’Neill said the latest election results show the public want the power-sharing institutions to resume at Stormont.
She said the boycott of the Stormont Assembly by the DUP “cannot go on.”
O’Neill said: “The onus is now on the British and Irish governments to get together and focus their efforts on the immediate restoration of the Executive and Assembly.
“We expect to see an early meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference.
“The boycott of the Assembly cannot go on and an Executive must be formed.”
The DUP believes the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit deal has created a customs border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, weakening the province’s place within the United Kingdom.
In February, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a so-called Windsor Framework, which would significantly reduce the number of post-Brexit checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
‘Lessons to Be Learned’
Commenting on the election results, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson insisted that his party had polled strongly, but said the unionist community needs to learn lessons from the election.Donaldson said his party has increased its vote share from last year’s Stormont elections and has won a lot of seats across all the councils.
He said: “The DUP has polled strongly in this election despite everything that’s been thrown at us, despite the challenges we’ve faced, the DUP vote has held up well.”
But he added: “I think if truth be told, there are lessons to be learned for unionism in its broadest sense. We need to do better.
“The DUP has had a good election but unionism needs to do better, we need to be winning more seats.
“I’m happy to sit down with my fellow unionists and examine these issues and how greater co-operation can lead a pathway towards more success for unionism in general.”
