Belfast North
The DUP’s Paula Bradley was elected following the elimination of running-mate Nelson McCausland. “He is a massive loss,” she said afterwards. “He is a friend, we all work together very closely as a team in North Belfast along with our MP Nigel Dodds and a great team of councillors.”
There was shock at Mr McCausland’s loss – he had been an MLA since 2003 and had terms as culture minister and social development minister at Stormont.
Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly topped the poll, closely followed by party colleague Caral Ní Chuilin, however both had to wait until after the seventh count to be finally elected.
Nichola Mallon managed to maintain the SDLP’s seat in the constituency, holding off Nuala McAllister of the Alliance Party.
Elected: Paula Bradley*, William Humphrey* (DUP); Gerry Kelly*, Carál Ní Chuilín* (Sinn Féin); Nichola Mallon* (SDLP).
Rest of the candidates: DUP – Nelson McCausland*; Alliance – Nuala McAllister; Greens – Mal O’Hara; PBP – Fiona Ferguson; PUP – Julie-Anne Corr-Johnston; UUP – Robert Foster; WP – Gemma Weir; Ind – Adam Millar.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 3, SF 2, SDLP 1.
2017 result: DUP 2, SF 2, SDLP 1.
Difference: DUP -1.
Belfast South
The Green Party took the last seat of the election after an agonising wait for the ultimately victorious Clare Bailey. One of the DUP’s rising stars, Emma Little Pengelly, lost out. “I fought to the last,” she said.
Victorious DUP candidate Christopher Stalford choked back the tears. “I am so humbled that the people of South Belfast should have given me the opportunity.”
Former Sinn Féin economy minister Mairtin Ó Muilleoir cruised through in the first round of counting as the poll topper. “What a great result for those who insisted yesterday that we wouldn’t be turned back,” he said. “This was ensuring that the gains for equality, the gains for justice for all, the gains for the peace process wouldn’t be turned back by the DUP.”
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The SDLP’s Claire Hanna and Alliance’s Paula Bradshaw also booked a return trip to Stormont with some to spare.
Elected: Máirtín Ó Muilleoir* (Sinn Féin); Paula Bradshaw* (Alliance); Claire Hanna* (SDLP); Christopher Stalford* (DUP); Claire Bailey* (Greens).
Rest of the candidates: DUP – Emma Pengelly*; UUP – Michael Henderson; SDLP – Naomh Gallagher; Alliance – Emmet McDonough-Brown; TUV – John Hiddleston; PBP – Pádraigín Mervyn; WP – Lily Kerr; Lab Alt – Sean Burns; NI Con – George Jabbour.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 2, SF 1, AP 1, SDLP 1, Greens 1.
2017 result: DUP 1, SF 1, AP 1, SDLP 1, Greens 1.
Difference: DUP -1.
Belfast East
Naomi Long topped the poll in her first election as leader of the Alliance Party.
Increased numbers through the booths saw a shift towards the leafier suburbs of the city and the centre-ground party.
“It has been a good day for Alliance and hopefully that bodes well for Northern Ireland over the next couple of weeks because the work starts here,” she said.
Her running mate Chris Lyttle was also elected comfortably.
Andy Allen, a former soldier left in a wheelchair after an explosion in Afghanistan, was returned along with the DUP’s Joanne Bunting.
Elected: Naomi Long*, Chris Lyttle* (Alliance); Joanne Bunting*, Robin Newton* (DUP); Andy Allen* (UUP).
Candidates: DUP – David Douglas*; Sinn Féin – Mairéad O’Donnell; SDLP – Séamas de Faoite; PUP – Dr John Kyle; Greens – Georgina Milne; TUV – Andrew Girvin; NI Con – Sheila Bodel; Ind – Jordy McKeag; Lab Alt – Courtney Robinson.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 3, AP 2, UUP 1.
2017 result: DUP 2, AP 2, UUP 1.
Difference: DUP -1.
Belfast West
Sinn Féin reasserted its dominance in the constituency in a contest that saw the end of SDLP stalwart Alex Attwood’s tenure at Stormont. Chastened after People Before Profit (PBP) topped the poll in 2016, Sinn Féin’s Orlaithi Flynn secured top spot this time. PBP’s Gerry Carroll did retain his seat along with three other familiar Sinn Féin faces, Pat Sheehan, Alex Maskey and Fra McCann.
Ms Flynn said a “step change” was needed at Stormont. “There can be no return to the status quo,” she said. Mr Attwood, an MLA since 1998, delivered an emotional speech. “I feel I have let the SDLP down,” he said. “I feel I have let the people of west Belfast down.”
Elected: Órlaithí Flynn, Fra McCann*, Alex Maskey*, Pat Sheehan* (all Sinn Féin). Gerry Carroll* (PBP).
Losing candidates: PBP – Michael Collins; SDLP – Alex Attwood*; DUP – Frank McCoubrey; UUP – Fred Rodgers; Alliance – Sorcha Eastwood; Greens – Ellen Murray; WP – Conor Campbell.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: SF 4, PBP 1, SDLP 1.
2017 result: SF 4, PBP 1.
Difference: SDLP -1.
East Derry
Sinn Féin topped the poll in the unionist stronghold. Caoimhe Archibald comfortably led the field on first preferences, although she had to wait until the last round to retake her seat. Her running mate Cathal Ó hOisín, with a healthy share of the vote, lost his seat after a nail-biting day.
The DUP was left licking its wounds as outgoing MLA Adrian McQuillan was eliminated on the eighth count. His colleagues George Robinson and Maurice Bradley held their seats.
Independent unionist Claire Sugden, the former justice minister, was first elected in the constituency.
There were early expectations of a close fight – and possible recount demand – in the scrap for the final seat between Mr O Hoisin and the SDLP’s John Dallat, but the SDLP veteran prevailed, although not before a rollercoaster journey.
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Former SDLP leader Mark Durkan admitted a row over the selection of Mr Dallat to run for the party over outgoing MLA Gerry Mullan – who then ran as an Independent but was eliminated – did not help its cause. “Clearly we have damaged ourselves there, there is no two ways about it,” he said. “It is a difficult situation for our supporters, it is difficult for our members, we are going to have to move forward from that.”
Elected: Claire Sugden* (Ind); Maurice Bradley*, George Robinson* (DUP); Caoimhe Archibald* (Sinn Féin); John Dallat (SDLP).
Rest of the candidates: DUP – Adrian McQuillan*; Ind – Gerry Mullan, Sinn Féin – Cathal Ó hOisín; TUV – Jordan Armstrong; PBP – Gavin Campbell; Greens – Anthony Flynn; NI Con – David Harding; UUP – William McCandless; Alliance – Chris McCaw; PUP – Russell Watton. *Sitting MLAs
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 3, SF 1, SDLP 1, Ind 1.
2017 result: DUP 2, SF 1, SDLP 1, Ind 1.
Difference: DUP -1.
East Antrim
East Antrim lost its only nationalist seat with the UUP ousting Sinn Féin stalwart Oliver McMullan. It was a blow for Sinn Fein coming on a day of victories for the party, and is the first time the constituency has been without a nationalist MLA in nearly two decades. John Stewart – who lost out on an Assembly seat in last May’s elections when he ran for the first time – managed to get over the line after taking surplus votes from the DUP’s Gordon Lyons.
The DUP held on to two seats, with Stephen Ross a casualty of the reduction in overall seats at the Assembly. However, it was a good day for returning DUP MLA David Hilditch who topped the polls once again and claimed 6,000 first preference votes.
Elected: David Hilditch*, Gordon Lyons* (both DUP); Roy Beggs*, John Stewart (both UUP); Stewart Dickson* (Alliance).
Candidates: DUP – Stephen Ross*; Alliance – Danny Donnelly; Sinn Féin – Oliver McMullan*; Ukip – Noel Jordan; TUV – Ruth Wilson; SDLP – Margaret McKillop; NI Con – Alan Dunlop; Greens – Dawn Patterson; Lab Alt – Conor Sheridan; Ind – Ricky Best.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 3, UUP 1, AP 1, SF 1.
2017 result: DUP 2, UUP 2, AP 1.
Difference: DUP -1, SF -1, UUP +1.
Fermanagh and South Tyrone
It was the fight of her political career but after a tense day of counting in Omagh, former first minister Arlene Foster was returned to Stormont. But Lord Maurice Morrow, the Democratic Unionist chairman, lost his seat in a dramatic final showdown.
Sinn Féin were the big winners in this constituency, securing three seats for Seán Lynch, Michelle Gildernew and Jemma Dolan, the party’s new candidate from Belleek, Co Fermanagh.
One of the big shocks was the elimination of the SDLP’s Richie McPhillips who lost out following a second recount after it emerged that just 58 votes separated him and Sinn Féin’s Mr Lynch. The insurance broker won back a seat in last year’s election reversing the fortunes of his party which had been without representation at Stormont for four years. The race for the final seat was between Lord Morrow and the Ulster Unionist’s Rosemary Barton, a former teacher, and Mr Lynch, a former IRA commander.
As Mr Lynch made his declaration speech, Ms Foster and her DUP colleagues walked out in response. Mr Lynch said: “See you later alligator”, a repeat of a quip made by Gerry Adams after Ms Foster alluded to Sinn Féin “crocodiles”.
Elected: Arlene Foster* (DUP); Jemma Dolan, Michelle Gildernew*, Seán Lynch* (Sinn Féin); Rosemary Barton* (UUP).
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Rest of the candidates: DUP – Maurice Morrow*; SDLP – Richie McPhillips*; Alliance – Noreen Campbell; Greens – Tanya Jones; NI Con – Richard Dunn; Lab Alt – Donal O’Cofaigh; TUV – Alex Elliott.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 2, SF 2, UUP 1, SDLP 1.
2017 result: DUP 1, SF 3, UUP 1.
Difference: DUP -1, SDLP -1, SF + 1.
Foyle
Sinn Féin delivered a bruising blow to the SDLP in its heartland. Former Derry mayor Elisha McCallion romped home in Foyle to top the poll, almost 2,000 votes over the quota. Her Sinn Féin running mate and veteran republican Raymond McCartney followed quick on her heels.
While SDLP leader Colum Eastwood retained his seat, along with party colleague Mark H Durkan, they admit their rivals stole a march in the upsurge in nationalist turnout. It is the first time Sinn Féin has out-polled the SDLP in Derry.
Meanwhile, long-time activist Eamonn McCann, standing for People Before Profit, conceded the seat he memorably clinched last year after decades of unsuccessfully contesting polls. From the afternoon it looked unlikely he could see off the DUP’s Gary Middleton, who consolidated the unionist vote to take the final seat without meeting the quota.
Ms McCallion accepted regard for former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness in his native city was a factor in boosting the Sinn Fein vote. “Martin McGuinness in this town is a giant, he is a legend and a hero, and I have no doubt that the position he took in January has meant that the Sinn Féin vote throughout the six counties has increased in the way that it has,” she said.
Elected: Gary Middleton* (DUP); Raymond McCartney*, Elisha McCallion (Sinn Féin); Mark H Durkan*, Colum Eastwood* (SDLP).
Rest of the candidates: PBP – Eamonn McCann*; NI Con – Stuart Canning; Alliance – Colm Cavanagh; Greens – Shannon Downey; UUP – Julia Kee; CISTA – John Lindsay; Ind – Arthur McGuinness.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: SF 2, SDLP 2, DUP 1, PBP 1.
2017 result: SF 2, SDLP 2, DUP 1.
Difference: PBP 1 -1.
Lagan Valley
Former publican Pat Catney lifted SDLP spirits in dramatic style late by winning the fifth and final seat in the fiercely contested Lagan Valley constituency. He was elected on the eighth count, narrowly holding off the challenge of the DUP’s Brenda Hale, the widow of a soldier killed in Afghanistan, and become an unexpected member of his party’s team in the new Stormont.
The one-time owner of Belfast’s famous Kitchen Bar admitted: “Yes, I’m finding this difficult to take in. But we had a route. We had a plan. It’s like running a business. My door is open to everyone.”
Earlier the DUP’s Paul Givan, who provoked nationalist fury over his decision to withdraw money from an Irish language bursary scheme, romped to victory in the first count, and was later joined by party stalwart Edwin Poots.
The Official Unionist, Jenny Palmer, was the first big casualty. After defecting from the DUP following the Red Sky scandal, and after winning a seat in last year’s poll, this will have been a particularly difficult pill to swallow. But her running partner Robbie Butler polled strongly in the closing stages, with him and the Alliance Party’s Trevor Lunn being returned on the seventh count. Mr Poots was elected on the eighth count with a delighted Mr Catney, who just stayed ahead of Mrs Hale.
Elected: Paul Givan*, Edwin Poots* (DUP); Trevor Lunn* (Alliance); Robbie Butler* (UUP); Pat Catney (SDLP).
Rest of the candidates: DUP – Brenda Hale*; UUP – Jenny Palmer*; Greens – Dan Barrios-O’Neill; Sinn Féin – Peter Doran; TUV – Samuel Morrison; NI Con – Matthew Robinson; Ind – Keith John Gray, Jonny Orr.
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*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 3, UUP 2, AP 1.
2017 result: DUP 2, UUP 1, AP 1, SDLP 1.
Difference: DUP -1, UUP -1, SDLP +1.
Mid Ulster
Sinn Féin’s leader in the north Michelle O’Neill said it was a “great day for the party and for women” as she topped the poll in Mid Ulster. After securing 10,253 first preference votes she said that while a “difficult period” lies ahead, a return to powersharing is possible. “We have to go in there wanting to find a way forward. But we have to have fundamental change from the DUP. There is a hard road in front of us in the next three weeks but Sinn Fein is coming at it trying to find a way forward.”
Ian Milne and Linda Dillon were both elected for Sinn Féin in the second count, ensuring the party retained its three seats. The DUP kept its one seat with Keith Buchanon securing 9,568 votes. Despite his re-election he said it was a “sad day for unionism” in Mid Ulster.
He made his comments after the Ulster Unionists lost their only seat. Sandra Overend was eliminated after failing to secure enough votes to beat the SDLP’s Patsy McGlone. Mr McGlone was elected in the fifth stage with 8,247 votes.
Elected: Keith Buchanan* (DUP); Linda Dillon*, Ian Milne*, Michelle O’Neill* (Sinn Féin); Patsy McGlone* (SDLP).
Rest of the candidates: UUP – Sandra Overend*; WP – Hugh Scullion; TUV – Hannah Loughrin; Alliance – Fay Watson; Greens – Stefan Taylor; Ind – Hugh McCloy.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: SF 3, SDLP 1, UUP 1, DUP 1.
2017 result: SF 3, DUP 1, SDLP 1.
Difference: UUP -1.
Newry and Armagh
A Sinn Féin “tide” delivered a shock result for former Ulster Unionist minister Danny Kennedy, who lost his seat as an MLA after nearly 20 years.
The former deputy party leader said it is unlikely that he will remain in politics following the defeat.
The DUP’s William Irwin topped the poll with 9,760 first preference votes and was elected in the first round, alongside Sinn Féin’s Cathal Boylan who polled 9,197 first preference votes. The second round brought in Sinn Féin junior minister Megan Fearon, who had 9,175 first preference votes, and the SDLP’s Justin McNulty who took 7,675 first preference votes.
Sinn Féin’s former regional development minister Conor Murphy was deemed elected in the third round without reaching the quota, leaving Mr Kennedy out in the cold.
Elected: Cathal Boylan*, Megan Fearon*, Conor Murphy* (all Sinn Féin); William Irwin* (DUP); Justin McNulty* (SDLP).
Losing candidates: UUP – Danny Kennedy*; Alliance – Jackie Coade; CISTA – Emmet Crossan; Greens – Rowan Tunnicliffe.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: SF 3, DUP 1, UUP 1, SDLP 1.
2017 result: SF 3, DUP 1, SDLP 1.
Difference: UUP -1.
North Antrim
Sinn Féin’s Philip McGuigan became the first republican to ever top the poll in the DUP heartland of North Antrim. Mr McGuigan, who replaced Daithí McKay last year, was elected in the sixth stage, ensuring the party retained its one seat. “The people of North Antrim sent out an historic message today. I am looking forward to working with the Sinn Féin team in the assembly to deliver on their demands. People are no longer going to accept being second class citizens,” he said.
The DUP lost one of their three seats when Philip Logan, who was only elected to the assembly in 2016, was beaten by Ulster Unionist Robin Swann. Mr Swann paid tribute to outgoing party leader Mike Nesbitt “for his hard work and commitment”.
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TUV leader Jim Allister was elected in the final stage. He said it was a “poor day for unionism”.
“It is a day that need not have arrived but for the arrogance and the bungling of Mrs Foster which has delivered, for the first time in Northern Ireland’s history, the absence of a unionist majority at Stormont. Your country is being destroyed by the cuckoo you brought into the nest in 2007,” he said.
The DUP’s Paul Frew and Mervyn Storey were also elected in the final count.
Elected: Philip McGuigan (Sinn Féin); UUP – Robin Swann* (UUP); Mervyn Storey*, Paul Frew* (DUP); Jim Allister* (TUV).
Rest of the candidates: TUV – Timothy Gaston; DUP – Phillip Logan*; SDLP – Connor Duncan; Alliance – Patricia O’Lynn; Greens – Mark Bailey; Ind – Monica Digney, Adam McBride.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 3, UUP 1, TUV 1, SF 1.
2017 result: DUP 2, UUP 1, TUV 1, SF 1.
Difference: DUP -1.
North Down
There was little change here with five outgoing MLAs returned to the Stormont Assembly. The DUP again topped the polls, with Alex Easton taking 8,034 first preference votes. Mr Easton has received the highest number of votes in North Down since 2007. His party colleague Gordon Dunne was elected in the second stage. The party’s Peter Weir, who had served the area since 1998 (first elected as an Ulster Unionist), was moved to neighbouring Strangford for this election. The DUP knew that, with five rather than six seats available, retaining a third seat would not be possible.
The UUP’s Alan Chambers, who was first elected to the Assembly in 2016, had the second highest number of first preference votes and was also elected in the first count. The Ulster Unionists, who had not won two seats since 2007, were hopeful of securing a second seat but Mr Chambers’ running mate, TUV defector William Cudworth, was eliminated in the final count. Former Minister for Employment and Learning Stephen Farry took the third seat in the first count, while the Green Party leader, Stephen Agnew, took the last seat just short of the quota.
Elected: Alan Chambers* (UUP); Alex Easton*, Gordon Dunne* (both DUP); Stephen Farry* (Alliance); Steven Agnew* (Greens).
Rest of the candidates: UUP – William Cudworth; Sinn Féin – Kieran Maxwell; SDLP – Caoimhe McNeill; NI Con – Frank Shivers; Ind – Melanie Kennedy, Chris Carter, Melanie Kennedy, Gavan Reynolds.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 3, UUP 1, AP 1, Greens 1.
2017 result: DUP 2, UUP 1, AP 1, Greens 1.
Difference: DUP -1.
The DUP’s Trevor Clarke lost his seat as he and his two party colleagues battled it out to the end. Paul Girvan and Pam Cameron were finally returned in the eighth stage of counting after the Alliance Party’s David Ford’s surplus votes were distributed between the three DUP candidates. There had been whispers throughout the day that Mr Clarke would become a casualty of the overall reduction in Assembly seats and he lost out to Mrs Cameron by a difference of 150 votes.
“I am disappointed but it was either Pam or me and she won, and that’s just how it goes,” he said. He added that while he has not given thought to his future, he remains committed to the DUP.
Sinn Féin secured a convincing victory in the constituency, with their only candidate Declan Kearney romping home to victory early on in the day. He was returned to his seat after securing 7,065 votes, with 6,891 first preference votes and said the result was a “mandate for equality” and a “mandate against sectarianism”.
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Meanwhile, as UUP candidate Stephen Aiken was returned, he paid tribute to his outgoing party leader Mike Nesbitt, who he said had shown great courage in trying to move away from extremism in politics.
Elected: Declan Kearney* (Sinn Féin); David Ford* (Alliance); Paul Girvan*, Pam Cameron* (DUP); Steve Aiken* (UUP).
Rest of the candidates: DUP – Trevor Clarke*; UUP – Adrian Cochrane-Watson; NI Con – Mark Logan; Greens – Eleanor Bailey; Ind – David McMaster; PBP – Ivanka Antova; SDLP – Róisín Lynch; TUV – Richard Cairns.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 3, SF 1, AP 1, UUP 1.
2017 result: DUP 2, SF 1, AP 1, UUP 1.
Difference: DUP -1.
South Down
Newcomer Sinéad Ennis helped Sinn Féin pull off a spectacular one-two, with a combined vote of more than 19,000 votes. The party’s bright new star topped the poll ahead of party colleague Chris Hazzard, the minister in charge of the Department for Infrastructure in the last Executive.
The constituency was once a powerbase for the SDLP, and Sinéad Bradley’s win for the party was overshadowed by the death of her father, PJ Bradley, an MLA from 1998 until 2011, and whose funeral was held as the counting continued in Lisburn.
She was not present when the deputy returning officer Maureen Carroll announced, in a near empty declaration room, that she had been elected on the third count.
Meanwhile of the 17 elections which he fought – his first was to Lisburn Borough Council in 1981 – Jim Wells claimed his campaign was by far the easiest had ever encountered on the doorsteps. He was elected on the fourth count.
Elected: Sinéad Ennis, Chris Hazzard* (Sinn Féin); Sinéad Bradley*, Colin McGrath* (SDLP); Jim Wells* (DUP).
Rest of the candidates: UUP – Harold McKee*; Alliance – Patrick Brown; Greens – Hannah George; TUV – Lyle Rea; NI Con – Gary Hynds; Ind – Patrick Clarke.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: SF 2, SDLP 2, DUP 1, UUP 1.
2017 result: SF 2, SDLP 2, DUP 1.
Difference: UUP -1.
Strangford
The DUP retained three seats in Strangford after the gamble to move Peter Weir from neighbouring North Down to replace ex-DUP minister Jonathan Bell. Mr Bell, who was suspended from the party over his allegations about the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), contested the Assembly election as an Independent but received just 1,479 first preference votes and lost the seat he has held since 2011.
Mr Weir, who took the final seat after a tightly fought race with the SDLP’s Joe Boyle, joined fellow ministers Simon Hamilton and Michelle McIlveen who comfortably won their seats back in Stormont.
Mr Hamilton, who topped the poll with 6,221 first preference votes, said: “A lot of people were predicting doom and gloom for the party in Strangford and that we would lose seats but I was always confident when we went out on the doors.”
There was disappointment for the Ulster Unionists with Mr Nesbitt, who topped the poll last year, coming in fourth place. Mr Nesbitt announced he was resigning as UUP party leader just half an hour after being elected in Strangford. His party colleague Philip Smith lost the constituency’s second UUP seat.
The first over the line was the Alliance Party’s Kellie Armstrong who was elected following the distribution of votes from Sinn Féin’s Dermot Kennedy.
Elected: Kellie Armstrong* (Alliance); DUP – Simon Hamilton*, Michelle McIlveen*, Peter Weir (* North Down), (DUP); Mike Nesbitt* (UUP).
Rest of the candidates: UUP – Philip Smith*; Ind – Jonathan Bell*, Jimmy Menagh; SDLP – Joe Boyle; TUV – Stephen Cooper; NI Con – Scott Benton; Greens – Ricky Bamford; Sinn Féin – Dermot Kennedy.
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*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 3, UUP 2, AP 1.
2017 result: DUP 3, UUP 1, AP 1.
Difference: UUP -1.
Upper Bann
Ten months after being ousted from the Assembly, the SDLP’s Dolores Kelly made a triumphant return after taking the fifth seat in Upper Bann. Her success dashed Sinn Féin’s hopes of a second seat in the constituency for newcomer Nuala Toman after John O’Dowd was re-elected.
The DUP’s Carla Lockhart topped the poll with 9,140 first preference votes and was elected in the first round. Her party colleague Jonathan Buckley was elected in the fourth round after polling 7,745 first preference votes. The UUP’s Jo-Anne Dobson was ousted, but her party colleague Doug Beattie was elected at the fifth round with 5,467 first preference votes, alongside Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd who polled 8,220 first preference votes.
The UUP’s Doug Beattie, who dedicated his victory to his grandson Cameron who lost his life last year, ruled out any bid for the party leadership after Mike Nesbitt stepped down, saying he would have begged him to stay and steady the ship. He said that the nationalist vote had mobilised because of the inept leadership of Arlene Foster through a lack of respect for the other people who share the space of Northern Ireland and warned that unionism has been damaged as a result.
Elected: Jonathan Buckley, Carla Lockhart* (DUP); Doug Beattie* (UUP); John O’Dowd* (Sinn Féin); Dolores Kelly (SDLP).
Rest of the candidates: UUP – Jo-Anne Dobson*; Sinn Féin – Nuala Toman; Alliance – Tara Doyle; Greens – Simon Lee; TUV – Roy Ferguson; WP – Colin Craig; NI Con – Ian Nickels.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: DUP 2, UUP 2, SF 2.
2017 result: DUP 2, UUP 1, SF 1, SDLP 1.
Difference: UUP -1, SF -1, SDLP +1.
West Tyrone
The constituency has lost its Ulster Unionist representation at Stormont after a nail-biting election that saw nationalists win big.
Barry McElduff, Michaela Boyle and Declan McAleer won three seats for Sinn Féin, while Daniel McCrossan secured his seat for the SDLP.
As well as thanking constituents for apple tart on the election trail, Mr McElduff reinforced his party’s message that he would go forward on the basis of “integrity, respect and equality”.
Tom Buchanan of the DUP topped the poll with over 9,000 votes and is now the sole unionist in West Tyrone, one of the most rural constituencies in Northern Ireland. The Ulster Unionist’s Alicia Clarke, who replaced well known Ross Hussey, lost the party’s seat at Stormont. The daughter of a Church of Ireland minister, Miss Clarke expressed liberal views on abortion and same sex marriage during the election campaign, views that some in her party privately described as “unhelpful”.
Elected: Thomas Buchanan* (DUP); Michaela Boyle*, Declan McAleer*, Barry McElduff* (Sinn Féin); Daniel McCrossan* (SDLP).
Rest of the candidates: Alliance – Stephen Donnelly; Greens – Ciarán McClean; UUP – Alicia Clarke; NI Con – Roger Lomas; CISTA – Barry Brown; TUV – Charlie Chittick; Ind – Róisín McMackin, Corey French, Susan-Anne White, Sorcha McAnespy.
*MLAs in previous Assembly.
2016 result: SF 3, SDLP 1, DUP 1, UUP 1.
2017 result: SF 3, SDLP 1, DUP 1.
Difference: UUP -1.
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