The British province will enter a ‘new era’, Sinn Fein leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill has said. The DUP, the main unionist party, recognized the imminence of this victory.
At the gates of a historic victory in Northern Ireland, the nationalist party Sinn Fein, in favor of the reunification of all Ireland, promised on Saturday a « new eradespite the risk of political paralysis.
Read alsoIn Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin on the verge of a historic victory
As the long counting of the ballots cast in the ballot boxes on Thursday to designate the 90 elected members of the Local Assembly progresses, partial results give Sinn Fein a slight lead against its unionist rival DUP, favorable to maintaining within the British crown. It’s a first in a hundred-year history of the province, under tension due to Brexit.
« Today is a very important moment of change», with the entry in «a new era“, welcomed the leader of Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, from her constituency of Mid Ulster, promising to overcome divisions. « I will provide leadership that is inclusive, that celebrates diversity, that guarantees rights and equality for those who have been excluded, discriminated against or ignored in the past« . A victory would propel Michelle O’Neill to the post of leader of the local government, which is to be run jointly by nationalists and unionists under the 1998 peace accord.
In Belfast, the tally so far gives Sinn Fein 23 of the 77 declared seats, compared to 21 for its unionist rival DUP, pro-British crown. The nationalist party has already obtained the most first preference votes (29% against 21.3%) and the end of the count should not reverse the situation. DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has acknowledged on Sky News that Sinn Fein is set to become the new dominant party in the Assembly.
But the talks for the formation of a government promise to be difficult and the risk of paralysis hovers, the unionists refusing to join a government as long as the post-Brexit customs controls remain in place, which according to them threaten the integrity of the United Kingdom. United. « I want a government in Northern Ireland, but it must be based on stable foundations“Insisted Mr. Donaldson, lamenting that the Northern Irish protocol bears”damage to the economyof the province and itspolitical stability« .
« Months» negotiations
Another party heavyweight, Edwin Poots, warned that negotiations would take “weeks, with a bit of luck, or even months“, while the British minister in charge of the province, Brandon Lewis, is expected in Belfast on Monday, according to Northern Irish politicians. « People have spoken and our job is now to make an appearance. I expect others to do the sameMichelle O’Neill told reporters.
She called for a « healthy debateon the future of Northern Ireland, saying the new executive should prioritize tackling the soaring cost of living, after a campaign during which she insisted on social and societal issues rather than constitutional ones . Marked by three decades of bloody unrest between Unionists and separatists and then the turmoil caused by Brexit, Northern Ireland plunged back into uncertainty in February, with the resignation of Unionist Prime Minister Paul Givan, unhappy with the post-Brexit situation. Brexit.
« Sinn Fein’s success benefits from the weakness of unionism, at a time of real change for the UK after Brexit. It does not represent a sea change in opinions in Northern Ireland in favor of reunification», Analysis for AFP Katy Hayward, political scientist at Queen’s University in Belfast. She also notes a fracturing of the unionist vote and the progress of the centrist Alliance party.
Setback for Boris Johnson
Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, where local elections were held on Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party suffered a severe setback, undermined by the « party gateand inflation, weakening its position. They lost hundreds of seats and a dozen councils to Labor and the Liberal Democrats.
Boris Johnson has said he is determined to stay in power. But these poor results weaken him and push deputies from his camp, worried about the legislative elections of 2024, to question the advisability of continuing to support him. To convince, Boris Johnson will have to offer “a real plan of actionTuesday during the traditional throne speech where the government will unveil its priorities in Parliament, said Simon Usherwood, political scientist from the Open University interviewed by AFP.
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