Wikipedia

2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election

The 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on 5 May 2022. It elected 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It was the seventh assembly election since the establishment of the assembly in 1998. The election was held three months after the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed due to the resignation of the First Minister, Paul Givan of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.[2]

2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election
← 2017 5 May 2022 Next →
All 90 seats to the Northern Ireland Assembly
Turnout63.61% (Decrease1.2%)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Michelle O'Neill at the Foyle Assembly election launch 2022 (cropped).jpg
Jeffrey Donaldson election infobox.jpg
Naomi_Long_MLA.jpg
Leader Michelle O'Neill[n 1] Jeffrey Donaldson Naomi Long
Party Sinn Féin DUP Alliance
Leader since 23 January 2017[n 2] 30 June 2021 26 October 2016
Leader's seat Mid Ulster Lagan Valley (resigned)[a] Belfast East
Last election 27 seats, 27.9% 28 seats, 28.1% 8 seats, 9.1%
Seats won 27 25 17
Seat change Steady Decrease3 Increase9
Popular vote 250,388 184,002 116,681
Percentage 29.0% 21.3% 13.5%
Swing Increase1.1% Decrease6.7% Increase4.5%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Doug Beattie.png
Colum Eastwood SDLP Conference 2023.jpg
JimAllister (cropped).jpg
Leader Doug Beattie Colum Eastwood Jim Allister
Party UUP SDLP TUV
Leader since 17 May 2021 14 November 2015 7 December 2007
Leader's seat Upper Bann Did not stand[b] North Antrim
Last election 10 seats, 12.9% 12 seats, 11.9% 1 seat, 2.6%
Seats won 9 8 1
Seat change Decrease1 Decrease4 Steady
Popular vote 96,390 78,237 65,788
Percentage 11.2% 9.1% 7.6%
Swing Decrease1.7% Decrease2.9% Increase5.0%
  Seventh party
 
Eamonn McCann (cropped).jpg
Leader Eamonn McCann[n 3]
Party People Before Profit
Leader since N/A
Leader's seat Did not stand
Last election 1 seat, 1.8%
Seats won 1
Seat change Steady
Popular vote 9,798
Percentage 1.1%
Swing Decrease0.6%
First Minister and
deputy First Minister before election

vacant positions

 First Minister and
deputy First Minister

Michelle O'Neill (SF) &
Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP)

In the sixth assembly, elected in 2017, eight parties had Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs): the DUP, latterly led by Jeffrey Donaldson; Sinn Féin, led by Michelle O'Neill; the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), latterly led by Doug Beattie; the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), led by Colum Eastwood; Alliance, led by Naomi Long; the Greens, led by Clare Bailey; People Before Profit (PBP), which has a collective leadership; and the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), led by Jim Allister.

Sinn Féin became the largest party, marking the first time an Irish nationalist/republican party won the most seats in an assembly election in Northern Ireland, and has the right to nominate Northern Ireland's first nationalist First Minister. The DUP's vote share dropped almost 7% and it lost three seats; despite this, unionists won two more seats than nationalists—37 seats to 35—and a marginally higher share of the vote.[3] Alliance made large gains, as the only party to gain seats at the election, overtaking the UUP and the SDLP to become the third-largest party in the Assembly. The Greens lost both seats they held before the election and were unrepresented in the Assembly for the first time since 2003.[4][5]

As Northern Ireland's government is based on power-sharing, the DUP (the largest unionist party) was required to nominate a deputy First Minister for the Executive to be formed and the Assembly to conduct business; however, they refused to do so due to their opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol and post-Brexit trading arrangements.[6] It wasn't until 31 January 2024 that the DUP and UK Government announced a deal had been struck to revive the Executive,[7] and on 3 February 2024 the Assembly swore in Sinn Fein First Minister Michelle O'Neill and DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.[8]

Background

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Electoral events

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In May 2013, Theresa Villiers, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced that the next Assembly election would be postponed to May 2016, and would be held at fixed intervals of five years thereafter.[9] Section 7 of the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 specifies that elections will be held on the first Thursday in May on the fifth calendar year following that in which its predecessor was elected,[10] which would be 5 May 2022; however, there are several circumstances in which the Assembly can be dissolved before the date scheduled by virtue of section 31(1) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

In June 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union, although Northern Ireland voted to remain.[11] The process of withdrawal held particular uncertainty for Northern Ireland due to the potential for customs on the UK–Ireland border.[12] Meanwhile, an early election was held to the Northern Ireland Assembly in March 2017. After the election, Sinn Féin stated that it would not return to a power-sharing arrangement with the Democratic Unionist Party without significant changes in the party's approach, including Arlene Foster not becoming First Minister until an investigation into the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal was complete.[13] Over the next few years,[14][15] the deadline to form an executive was repeatedly extended as negotiations continued with no success.[16][17][18]

On 18 April 2017, Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK, called for a general election to be held on 8 June 2017.[19] The Conservative Party lost its parliamentary majority and sought a confidence and supply agreement with the DUP in order to remain in government. The DUP and the Conservatives reached an agreement on 26 June.[20]

In 2019, the UK experienced significant political turbulence over the question of how to proceed with Brexit. The European Parliament election in May 2019 saw the Alliance Party take the third MEP place from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). DUP support for the Conservative government broke down with disagreements over the government's Brexit plans. The Conservative government sought a new election, held in December 2019, which they won with a large majority. In Northern Ireland, for the first time, traditional Irish nationalist parties won more seats than traditional unionist parties. The SDLP and Alliance returned to the House of Commons, while the DUP and Sinn Féin saw vote share declines of more than 5%.[21]

A DUP/Sinn Féin executive was re-established on 10 January 2020 with the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) agreement, forestalling an immediate new election.[22] By the end of February 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Northern Ireland.[23]

On 15 January 2022, the UK government was accused of interfering in the election by reintroducing dual mandates, which had been abolished in 2016. This would enable MPs like Donaldson to have seats in Stormont as well as Westminster,[24] but plans were withdrawn four days later.[25]

Leadership changes

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On 28 April 2021, Arlene Foster announced that she would be resigning as DUP leader on 28 May and First Minister in June 2021 after more than 20 DUP MLAs and four DUP MPs signed a letter "...voicing no confidence in her leadership".[26] Edwin Poots narrowly won the subsequent May 2021 DUP leadership election, but announced his resignation 21 days later.[27] The runner-up in the election, Jeffrey Donaldson, stood unopposed in the June 2021 DUP leadership election and with no other candidates the party chose not to hold a ballot (some parties still do a leadership vote or ballot with one candidate with the other option to re-open nominations). Donaldson was ratified as the party's leader on 30 June 2021.[28] Meanwhile, after Poots elected not to replace Foster as First Minister,[29] Paul Givan took up the position on 17 June 2021.[30]

Steve Aiken announced his resignation as leader of the UUP on 8 May 2021,[31] with Doug Beattie taking up the post nine days later after standing unopposed.[32]

Northern Ireland Protocol

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The Northern Ireland Protocol is a protocol to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement that governs the unique customs and immigration issues at the border in the island of Ireland between the United Kingdom and the European Union, and on some aspects of trade in goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.[33] Its terms were negotiated in 2019 and agreed and concluded in December 2020. Due to a thirty-year internecine conflict in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles, the UK–Ireland border has had a special status since that conflict was ended by the Belfast Agreement/Good Friday Agreement of 1998. As part of the Northern Ireland Peace Process, the border has been largely invisible, without any physical barrier or customs checks on its many crossing points; this arrangement was made possible by both countries' common membership of both the European Single Market and EU Customs Union, and of their Common Travel Area.

The DUP threatened to pull out of Stormont's power-sharing government on 9 September 2021, triggering a snap election "within weeks" unless the protocol was scrapped. Donaldson warned: "I say not as a threat but as a matter of political reality that our political institutions will not survive a failure to resolve the problems the Protocol has created."[34] The following week, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood accused the DUP of having a "petulant strop" and called for a new law to stop an early election. He told peers that the "delicate constitutional balance" in Northern Ireland was "too fragile for people to play games with".[35]

On 3 February 2022, Givan resigned as First Minister in protest over the protocol, which automatically resulted in the Deputy First Minister losing her role and the Northern Ireland Executive collapsing.[36][37] Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said that the UK government would "reform" the protocol if the EU did not,[38] whilst it was also reported that Westminster was planning legislation that would give ministers powers to abolish the protocol altogether.[39] During a rally in Ballymena on 30 April, TUV leader Jim Allister said that the Executive would not be returning unless the protocol was removed.[40]

Calls for early election

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Following the collapse of the Assembly, Sinn Féin and the DUP both called for the election to be brought forward, but the UUP, SDLP and Alliance Party opposed the idea.[41][42] Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis ruled out an early election,[43] saying that the priority was to get the Assembly up and running again.[44] Two weeks later, however, Lewis claimed there was "a real risk" that the Executive would not return after the election.[45]

Candidates

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Nominations opened on 29 March 2022 for the assembly election and closed on 8 April 2022.[46]

A total of 239 candidates contested the 90 available seats in the Assembly, an increase from 228 in 2016.[46] Eighty-seven women ran as candidates in the election, which is the highest number in history.[47] The seats were spread over 18 constituencies, with each constituency having five seats. The election was conducted using the single transferable vote system.

The table below lists all of the nominated candidates.[48][49]

  • * indicates an incumbent MLA
  • ** indicates the candidate is the incumbent MLA for a different constituency
  • ^ indicates a former MLA who was not a member at the dissolution of the 2017–22 Assembly
  • Leaders of parties represented in the assembly at dissolution are shown in bold text
  • Elected candidates are marked with an (E)
Constituency DUP SF SDLP UUP Alliance TUV Green PBP Aontú Independent Others
Belfast East David Brooks (E)
Joanne Bunting* (E) 		Mairéad O'Donnell Charlotte Carson Andy Allen* (E)
Lauren Kerr 		Naomi Long* (E)
Peter McReynolds (E) 		John Ross Brian Smyth Hannah Kenny Karl Bennett (PUP)
Eoin MacNeill (WP)
Belfast North Phillip Brett (E)
Brian Kingston (E) 		Gerry Kelly* (E)
Carál Ní Chuilín* (E) 		Nichola Mallon* Julie-Anne Corr-Johnston Nuala McAllister (E) Ron McDowell Mal O'Hara Fiona Ferguson Seán Mac Niocaill Stafford Ward Billy Hutchinson^ (PUP)
Lily Kerr (WP)
Belfast South Edwin Poots* (E) Deirdre Hargey* (E) Matthew O'Toole* (E)
Elsie Trainor 		Stephen McCarthy Paula Bradshaw* (E)
Kate Nicholl (E) 		Andrew Girvin Clare Bailey* Sipho Sibanda Luke McCann Elly Odhiambo Paddy Lynn (WP)
Neil Moore (SP)
Belfast West Frank McCoubrey Danny Baker (E)
Órlaithí Flynn* (E)
Aisling Reilly* (E)
Pat Sheehan* (E) 		Paul Doherty Linsey Gibson Donnamarie Higgins Jordan Doran Stevie Maginn Gerry Carroll* (E) Gerard Herdman Gerard Burns
Declan Hill
Tony Mallon 		Patrick Crossan (WP)
Dan Murphy (IRSP)
East Antrim David Hilditch* (E)
Gordon Lyons* (E) 		Oliver McMullan^ Siobhán McAlister John Stewart* (E)
Roy Beggs Jr* 		Stewart Dickson* (E)
Danny Donnelly (E) 		Norman Boyd^ Mark Bailey
East Londonderry Maurice Bradley* (E)
Alan Robinson (E) 		Caoimhe Archibald* (E)
Kathleen McGurk 		Cara Hunter* (E) Darryl Wilson Chris McCaw Jordan Armstrong Mark Coulson Amy Merron Gemma Brolly Claire Sugden* (Ind U) (E)
Niall Murphy
Stephanie Quigley
Billy Stewart 		Russell Watton (PUP)
Fermanagh and
South Tyrone 		Deborah Erskine* (E)
Paul Bell 		Jemma Dolan* (E)
Colm Gildernew* (E)
Áine Murphy* (E) 		Adam Gannon Tom Elliott^ (E)
Rosemary Barton* 		Matthew Beaumont Alex Elliott Kellie Turtle Emmett Kilpatrick Denise Mullen Derek Backhouse
Emma DeSouza 		Donal O'Cofaigh (CCLA)
Foyle Gary Middleton* (E) Pádraig Delargy* (E)
Ciara Ferguson* (E) 		Mark H. Durkan* (E)
Sinead McLaughlin* (E)
Brian Tierney 		Ryan McCready Rachael Ferguson Elizabeth Neely Gillian Hamilton Shaun Harkin Emmet Doyle Anne McCloskey Colly McLaughlin (IRSP)
Lagan Valley Jeffrey Donaldson^ (E)
Paul Givan* (E) 		Gary McCleave Pat Catney* Robbie Butler* (E)
Laura Turner 		Sorcha Eastwood (E)
David Honeyford (E) 		Lorna Smyth Simon Lee Amanda Doherty Gary Hynds
Mid Ulster Keith Buchanan* (E) Linda Dillon* (E)
Michelle O'Neill* (E)
Emma Sheerin* (E) 		Patsy McGlone* (E) Meta Graham Claire Hackett Glenn Moore Stefan Taylor[n 4] Sophia McFeely Alixandra Halliday Patrick Haughey Conor Rafferty (Resume NI)
Hugh Scullion (WP)
Newry and Armagh William Irwin* (E) Cathal Boylan* (E)
Liz Kimmins* (E)
Conor Murphy* (E) 		Justin McNulty* (E) David Taylor Jackie Coade Keith Ratcliffe Ciara Henry Daniel Connolly Gavin Malone Nicola Grant (WP)
North Antrim Paul Frew* (E)
Mervyn Storey* 		Philip McGuigan* (E) Eugene Reid Robin Swann* (E)
Bethany Ferris 		Patricia O'Lynn (E) Jim Allister* (E)
Matthew Armstrong 		Paul Veronica Laird Shingleton
North Down Stephen Dunne* (E)
Jennifer Gilmour 		Thérèse McCartney Déirdre Vaughan Alan Chambers* (E)
Naomi McBurney 		Connie Egan (E)
Andrew Muir* (E) 		John Gordon Rachel Woods* Alex Easton* (Ind U) (E)
Chris Carter
Ray McKimm 		Matthew Robinson (Con)
South Antrim Pam Cameron* (E)
Trevor Clarke* (E) 		Declan Kearney* (E) Roisin Lynch Steve Aiken* (E)
Paul Michael 		John Blair* (E) Mel Lucas Lesley Veronica Jerry Maguire Róisín Bennett Andrew Moran
South Down Diane Forsythe (E) Sinéad Ennis* (E)
Cathy Mason (E) 		Colin McGrath* (E)
Karen McKevitt^ 		Jill Macauley Patrick Brown (E) Harold McKee^ Noeleen Lynch Paul McCrory Rosemary McGlone Patrick Clarke
Strangford Harry Harvey* (E)
Michelle McIlveen* (E)
Peter Weir* 		Róisé McGivern Conor Houston Mike Nesbitt* (E)
Philip Smith^ 		Kellie Armstrong* (E)
Nick Mathison (E) 		Stephen Cooper Maurice Macartney Ben King
Upper Bann Jonathan Buckley* (E)
Diane Dodds* (E) 		John O'Dowd* (E)
Liam Mackle 		Dolores Kelly* Doug Beattie* (E)
Glenn Barr 		Eóin Tennyson (E) Darrin Foster Lauren Kendall Aidan Gribbin Glenn Beattie (Heritage)
West Tyrone Tom Buchanan* (E) Nicola Brogan* (E)
Declan McAleer* (E)
Maolíosa McHugh* (E) 		Daniel McCrossan* (E) Ian Marshall Stephen Donnelly Trevor Clarke Susan Glass Carol Gallagher James Hope Barry Brown
Paul Gallagher 		Amy Ferguson (SP)

Members not seeking re-election

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The following MLAs announced that they would not stand for re-election.[51]

MLA Constituency
/region 		First elected
or co-opted 		Party Date announced
Trevor Lunn Lagan Valley 2007 Independent[n 5] 22 February 2021[52]
Emma Rogan South Down 2017 Sinn Féin 19 May 2021[53]
Sinéad Bradley South Down 2016 SDLP 24 May 2021[54]
Alex Maskey Belfast West 1998 Sinn Féin 5 August 2021[55]
Chris Lyttle Belfast East 2010 Alliance 29 October 2021[56]
Robin Newton Belfast East 2003 DUP 2 February 2022[57]
George Robinson East Londonderry 2003 DUP 17 March 2022[58]
William Humphrey Belfast North 2010 DUP 17 March 2022[59]
Paula Bradley Belfast North 2011 DUP 17 March 2022[60]
Paul Rankin Lagan Valley 2022 DUP 17 March 2022[61]
Jim Wells South Down 1998 Ind. Unionist[n 6] 23 March 2022[62]

Campaign

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The Sinn Féin campaign avoided talk of a united Ireland,[63] instead focusing on "bread and butter" issues.[64] Sinn Féin called for a £230 payment to help people with the cost of living.[65] A threat to destroy a Sinn Féin billboard was reported to the police.[66] The Social Democratic and Labour Party's campaign had reportedly been difficult.[67] Candidate Elsie Trainor was attacked by youths in Belfast who also hurled sectarian abuse.[68] Leader Colum Eastwood urged tactical voting.[69] Aontú was the only Irish nationalist party to campaign on an anti-abortion platform.[70]

The Democratic Unionist Party campaign focused on their opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol, Sinn Féin and the prospect of a referendum on Irish unity.[71] The Traditional Unionist Voice said that opposing the Northern Ireland Protocol is "top priority".[72] They received a number of defections from the DUP.[73] In contrast to the DUP, the Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said a united Ireland would not happen in his or his children's lifetime, thus "we can set it aside in order to concentrate on the issues affecting the daily lives of our people who live here".[74] All three unionist leaders attended a series of rallies against the Protocol. In March, Beattie announced he would continue to oppose the Protocol but would no longer take part in the rallies. Beattie said they had been hijacked by loyalists to raise tensions "that now see a resurgence in UVF activity". Following this, his constituency office in Portadown was attacked,[75] and an election poster with a noose around his neck appeared at a loyalist rally in Lurgan.[76]

The Alliance Party advocated reform of the Stormont institutions to remove the designation system and avoid a "cycle of collapse". It also advocated health reform and the introduction of a child payment scheme to support people with the cost of living.[77] The party further promised to build Casement Park,[78] positioned itself as the "centre ground" and campaigned in constituencies west of the River Bann, where they have never won any seats.[79]

The Green Party pledged the establishment of a bill of rights, an independent Environmental Protection Agency, and rent controls.[80] The People Before Profit manifesto was launched on 22 April. In it, they promised a £1,000 to help with cost of living.[81] On 30 April, PBP candidate Hannah Kenny was attacked by three men in East Belfast, who also subjected her to "sectarian and misogynistic" abuse.[82]

On 13 April, it was reported that the Police Service of Northern Ireland had been notified of 41 political poster incidents.[83]

Televised debates between the party leaders were held on 1 May and 3 May.[84][85]

2022 Northern Ireland Assembly debates
Date
scheduled 		Organisers Moderator(s)  P  Present[c]   Audience Ref.
DUP SF SDLP UUP Alliance
1 May UTV Marc Mallett P
Donaldson 		P
O'Neill 		P
Eastwood 		P
Beattie 		P
Long 		Yes [86]
3 May BBC One Northern Ireland Jim Fitzpatrick P
Donaldson 		P
O'Neill 		P
Eastwood 		P
Beattie 		P
Long 		Yes [87]
  1. ^ Donaldson was elected to the Assembly but declined to take up his seat. Emma Little-Pengelly was co-opted to the seat in his place.
  2. ^ Eastwood sits in the House of Commons as the MP for Foyle
  3. ^ Denotes a main invitee attending the event.

Opinion polls

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Local regression of polls conducted
Date(s)
conducted 		Pollster Client Sample
size 		DUP U SF N UUP U SDLP N APNI O TUV U Green O PBP O Aontú N Other Lead
5 May 2022 2022 Assembly election – – 21.3% 29.0% 11.2% 9.1% 13.5% 7.9% 1.9% 1.1% 1.5% 3.5% 7.7%
16–26 Apr 2022 Social Market Research University of Liverpool/Irish News 1,270 18.2% 26.6% 12.1% 10.5% 18.2% 5.7% 2.9% 2.1% TBD 8.4%
22–24 Apr 2022 LucidTalk Belfast Telegraph 1,708 20% 26% 14% 10% 14% 9% 3% 2% TBD 2% 6%
11–26 Mar 2022 Social Market Research University of Liverpool/Irish News 1,000 20.2% 27.0% 13.6% 10.2% 14.7% 5.4% 4.3% 2.1% 0.3% 2.2% 6.8%
18–21 Mar 2022 LucidTalk Belfast Telegraph 3,281 19% 26% 13% 11% 16% 9% 2% 2% 0% 2% 7%
25 Jan – 7 Feb 2022 Social Market Research University of Liverpool/Irish News 1,002 19.4% 23.2% 14.0% 9.9% 15.6% 6.4% 6.3% 2.3% 0.3% 2.6% 3.8%
3 Feb 2022 Paul Givan resigns as First Minister[36]
14–17 Jan 2022 LucidTalk Belfast Telegraph 3,112 17% 25% 14% 11% 14% 12% 3% 1% 1% 2% 8%
5–11 Nov 2021 LucidTalk Belfast Telegraph 3,298 18% 24% 14% 12% 15% 11% 2% 2% 0% 2% 6%
21–29 Oct 2021 Social Market Research University of Liverpool 1,002 20.6% 23.5% 13.0% 11.4% 17.3% 5.6% 3.9% 1.0% 0.7% 2.4% 2.9%
20–23 Aug 2021 LucidTalk Belfast Telegraph 2,403 13% 25% 16% 13% 13% 14% 2% 2% 0% 2% 9%
30 Jun 2021 Jeffrey Donaldson becomes leader of the Democratic Unionist Party[88]
17 Jun 2021 Paul Givan becomes First Minister[30]
17 May 2021 Doug Beattie is elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party[89]
14–17 May 2021 LucidTalk Belfast Telegraph 3,072 16% 25% 14% 12% 16% 11% 2% 2% 0% 2% 9%
14 May 2021 Edwin Poots is elected leader of the Democratic Unionist Party[90]
22–25 Jan 2021 LucidTalk Belfast Telegraph 2,295 19% 24% 12% 13% 18% 10% 2% 1% 0% 1% 5%
2–5 Oct 2020 LucidTalk Belfast Telegraph 1,961 23% 24% 12% 13% 16% 6% 3% 2% 0% 1% 1%
31 Jan 2020 The United Kingdom leaves the European Union[91]
11 Jan 2020 The Executive is re-established[92]
12 Dec 2019 United Kingdom general election[93]
9 Nov 2019 Steve Aiken becomes leader of the Ulster Unionist Party[94]
23 May 2019 European Parliament election[95]
2 May 2019 Local elections[96]
23–26 Feb 2018 LucidTalk Northern Slant 2,079 33.6% 32.4% 10.3% 8.6% 8.0% 2.3% 1.9% 1.7% – 1.7% 1.2%
1–4 Dec 2017 LucidTalk GUE/NGL 2,079 33.7% 32.8% 8.9% 8.6% 7.9% 1.1% 2.2% 1.1% – 3.7% 0.9%
8–11 Sep 2017 LucidTalk N/A 2,080 35.5% 31.2% 9.6% 9.4% 8.6% 1.3% 1.7% 1.5% – 1.3% 4.3%
2 Mar 2017 2017 Assembly election – – 28.1% 27.9% 12.9% 11.9% 9.1% 2.6% 2.3% 1.8% – 3.6% 0.2%

* (U): Unionist, (N): Nationalist, (O): Other

Results

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Votes were counted on 6 and 7 May.[97] Sinn Féin became the largest party, marking the first time an Irish nationalist/republican party had won the most seats in an election in Northern Ireland, and has the right to nominate Northern Ireland's first nationalist First Minister. As Northern Ireland's government is based on power-sharing, the DUP (as second-largest party) must nominate a deputy First Minister for the Executive to be formed; however, they said they will not do so until their issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol are dealt with.[6]

The DUP's vote share dropped almost 7% and lost three seats; despite this, unionists won two more seats than nationalists—37 seats to 35—and a marginally higher share of the vote.[3] This being said, socialist party People Before Profit—who returned one candidate to the Assembly—favour a united socialist Ireland, though they officially designated themselves as Socialist, rather than Nationalist or Unionist, on the electoral register. Indeed, both nationalist parties (4) and unionist parties (3) lost seats overall to 'Others', who gained 7 seats for their highest ever proportion of seats in the assembly, 18 seats, or 20% of those available, despite both Green candidates losing their seat. Unionist parties lost greater combined vote share, losing just over 2.5% of the total vote, whereas nationalist parties (including newcomers Aontú) lost only around 0.5% of vote share combined.

Alliance achieved their highest ever first-preference vote share in an Assembly election, becoming the third-largest party in the Assembly and adding over 50% to their vote share, going from 9% to over 13.5%. They overtook the UUP (who lost one seat) and the SDLP (who lost four), who both received their lowest ever vote shares. The TUV also achieved their highest vote share, tripling their share and up 5% from the last election, but they did not win any more seats.[98] The Greens lost both seats they held before the election and were shut out of the Assembly for the first time since 2003.[4][5] Alex Easton, who left the DUP in 2021, was re-elected as an independent unionist, as was the returning former Justice Minister, Claire Sugden. Colum Eastwood believed SDLP voters gave their support to Sinn Féin in this election, saying "there's a tide there and people wanted to send a message, they wanted to kick the DUP and I think this is how they decided to do it".[47]

 
 
PartyVotes%+/–Seats
Assembly+/–Executive+/–
Sinn Féin250,38829.02+1.127–5+1
Democratic Unionist Party184,00221.33-6.725-34-1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland116,68113.53+4.517+92+1
Ulster Unionist Party96,39011.17-1.79-11–
Social Democratic and Labour Party78,2379.07-2.98-40-1
Traditional Unionist Voice65,7887.63+5.01–––
Green Party Northern Ireland16,4331.90-0.4–-2––
Aontú12,7771.48New–New––
People Before Profit9,7981.14-0.61–––
Progressive Unionist Party2,6650.31-0.4––––
Irish Republican Socialist Party1,8690.22New–New––
Workers' Party8390.10-0.1––––
Cross-Community Labour Alternative6020.07-0.3––––
Socialist Party5240.06New–New––
Northern Ireland Conservatives2540.03-0.3––––
Heritage Party1280.01New–New––
Resume Party130.00New–New––
Independent25,3152.93+1.12+1––
Total862,703100.00–900120
Valid votes862,70398.73
Invalid/blank votes11,0781.27
Total votes873,781100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,373,73163.61
 
Map of the results
 
Seats won by each party per constituency, with turnout and vote share.
 
Seats per constituency, by party and designation (Nationalist, Unionist, Other)

Distribution of seats by constituency

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Party affiliation of the five Assembly members returned by each constituency. The first column indicates the party of the Member of the House of Commons (MP) returned by the corresponding parliamentary constituency in the 2019 United Kingdom general election under the first-past-the-post voting method.

Party of MP, 2019 Constituency Northern Ireland Assembly seats
Total Gained
by 		Formerly
held by
PBP Green Sinn
Féin 		SDLP APNI UUP DUP TUV Ind.
DUP North Antrim 5 – – 1 – 1 1 1 1 – Alliance DUP
DUP East Antrim 5 – – – – 2 1 2 – – Alliance UUP
DUP South Antrim 5 – – 1 – 1 1 2 – – – –
Sinn Féin Belfast North 5 – – 2 – 1 – 2 – – Alliance SDLP
Sinn Féin Belfast West 5 1 – 4 – – – – – – – –
SDLP Belfast South 5 – – 1 1 2 – 1 – – Alliance Green
DUP Belfast East 5 – – – – 2 1 2 – – – –
Alliance North Down 5 – – – – 2 1 1 – 1 Ind. U. DUP
Alliance Green
DUP Strangford 5 – – – – 2 1 2 – – Alliance DUP
DUP Lagan Valley 5 – – – – 2 1 2 – – Alliance SDLP
DUP Upper Bann 5 – – 1 – 1 1 2 – – Alliance SDLP
Sinn Féin South Down 5 – – 2 1 1 – 1 – – Alliance SDLP
Sinn Féin Newry and Armagh 5 – – 3 1 – – 1 – – – –
Sinn Féin Fermanagh & South Tyrone 5 – – 3 – – 1 1 – – – –
Sinn Féin West Tyrone 5 – – 3 1 – – 1 – – – –
Sinn Féin Mid Ulster 5 – – 3 1 – – 1 – – – –
SDLP Foyle 5 – – 2 2 – – 1 – – – –
DUP East Londonderry 5 – – 1 1 – – 2 – 1 – –
Total 90 1 0 27 8 17 9 25 1 2
Change since 2017 – – –2 – –4 +9 –1 −3 – +1 – –
Elected on 2 March 2017 90 1 2 27 12 8 10 28 1 1 – –
Elected on 5 May 2016 108 2 2 28 12 8 16 38 1 1 – –
Elected on 5 May 2011 108 0 1 29 14 8 16 38 1 1 – –
Elected on 7 March 2007 108 – 1 28 16 7 18 36 – 1 1 Prog. U. –
Elected on 23 November 2003 108 – – 24 18 6 27 30 – 1 1 Prog. U. 1 UKUP
Elected on 25 June 1998 108 – – 18 24 6 28 20 – 4 2 Prog. U. 5 UKUP, 2 NIWC

Share of first-preference votes

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Percentage of each constituency's first-preference votes. Absolute majorities are in bold. The constituencies are arranged in the geographic order described for the table above; click the icon next to "Constituency" to see them in alphabetical order.

The totals given here are the sum of all valid ballots cast in each constituency, and the percentages are based on such totals. The turnout percentages in the last column, however, are based upon all ballots cast, which also include anything from twenty to a thousand invalid ballots in each constituency. The total valid ballots' percentage of the eligible electorate can correspondingly differ by 0.1% to 2% from the turnout percentage.

All constituencies were five-seat constituencies, with members elected under the Single transferable vote system. The quota in each constituency was therefore approximately 16.67% of the vote in the constituency. However, in some cases, despite a party gaining more than that share of the vote, imperfect transfer discipline between candidates meant that a seat was not automatically gained.

Member of Parliament, 2019 Constituency Northern Ireland Assembly seats
Party Proportion
of vote 		Total
votes
 Eligible
elector-
ate 		Turn-
out
PBP
 Aontú
 Sinn
Féin
 SDLP
 Green
 APNI UUP
 DUP
 TUV
 Ind.
 Others
DUP 47.4% North Antrim 18.5 3.8 0.7 9.5 20.5 25.7 21.3 0.1 51,220 81,935 62.5%
DUP 45.3% East Antrim 9.1 3.0 1.9 23.1 24.2 29.6 9.1 40,693 67,699 60.1%
DUP 35.3% South Antrim 0.6 1.4 20.1 6.9 1.2 16.0 17.9 25.9 9.6 0.6 46,195 76,950 60.0%
Sinn Féin 47.1% Belfast North 2.3 1.4 35.5 7.8 3.1 9.5 5.7 24.3 7.3 1.1 2.0 46,796 75,801 61.7%
Sinn Féin 53.8% Belfast West 7.5 4.0 63.7 5.8 0.7 2.1 1.1 9.5 1.8 0.8 3.0 44,440 68,727 64.7%
SDLP 57.2% Belfast South 1.3 1.7 20.3 15.8 8.7 24.9 6.5 15.4 4.1 0.2 1.1 47,306 73,497 64.4%
DUP 49.2% Belfast East 1.2 3.2 1.1 5.3 32.4 15.2 32.1 7.1 2.4 43,840 70,123 62.5%
Alliance 45.2% North Down 1.7 1.7 6.6 28.9 12.4 19.9 3.8 24.5 0.6 42,198 70,176 60.1%
DUP 47.2% Strangford 3.9 6.0 2.0 24.1 15.2 33.8 12.7 0.3 41,345 70,775 58.4%
DUP 43.1% Lagan Valley 0.5 5.3 6.3 1.3 24.3 19.3 34.7 6.8 1.4 51,543 81,562 63.2%
DUP 41.0% Upper Bann 1.0 29.4 6.5 0.8 11.5 15.3 27.5 8.4 0.2 56,954 91,149 62.5%
Sinn Féin 32.4% South Down 1.0 44.3 16.5 0.8 12.6 5.2 11.8 6.0 0.2 55,631 84,046 66.2%
Sinn Féin 40.0% Newry & Armagh 2.0 47.0 10.6 0.5 5.7 6.6 12.9 9.2 5.4 0.3 59,693 87,156 68.5%
Sinn Féin 43.3% Fermanagh & S. Tyrone 0.2 1.7 44.7 7.1 0.6 5.3 15.5 17.7 5.8 0.7 1.1 54,560 78,963 69.1%
Sinn Féin 40.2% West Tyrone 0.8 1.4 47.0 11.9 0.6 6.5 4.1 14.4 9.1 3.9 0.4 46,629 69,702 66.9%
Sinn Féin 45.9% Mid Ulster 0.4 2.5 52.7 10.0 0.3 4.1 4.2 16.5 7.4 1.7 0.2 52,274 75,168 69.5%
SDLP 57.0% Foyle 5.6 4.3 32.8 30.8 0.5 4.7 8.0 8.8 1.1 1.8 1.6 47,674 77,343 61.6%
DUP 40.1% East Londonderry 0.8 2.5 25.6 8.3 0.8 7.5 5.9 26.9 6.7 13.0 2.1 44,796 72,959 61.4%
Northern Ireland 1.1 1.5 29.0 9.1 1.9 13.5 11.2 21.3 7.6 2.9 0.8 873,781 1,373,731 63.6%
Change since 2017 −0.7 +1.5 +1.1 −2.8 −0.4 +4.4 −1.7 −6.8 +5.0 +1.1 −1.0 +60,998 +119,022 −1.2%
Election of March 2017 1.8 27.9 11.9 2.3 9.1 12.9 28.1 2.6 1.8 1.8 812,783 1,254,709 64.8%
Election of May 2016 2.0 24.0 12.0 2.7 7.0 12.6 29.2 3.4 3.9 3.3 703,744 1,281,595 54.9%
Election of May 2011 26.9 14.2 0.9 7.7 13.2 30.0 2.5 2.2 2.3 661,736 1,210,009 55.6%
Election of March 2007 26.2 15.2 1.7 5.2 14.9 30.1 3.8 2.8 690,313 1,107,904 62.9%
Election of Nov. 2003 23.5 17.0 0.4 3.7 22.7 25.7 5.6 2.8 692,026 1,097,526 63.1%
Election of June 1998 17.6 22.0 0.1 6.5 21.3 18.1 10.9 3.5 823,565 1,178,556 69.9%

Incumbents defeated

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Defeated MLA Party Constituency New MLA Party Ref.
Roy Beggs Jr UUP East Antrim Danny Donnelly Alliance [47]
Dolores Kelly SDLP Upper Bann Eóin Tennyson Alliance [99]
Peter Weir DUP Strangford Nick Mathison Alliance [47]
Pat Catney SDLP Lagan Valley David Honeyford Alliance [47]
Clare Bailey Green (NI) Belfast South Kate Nicholl Alliance [100]
Mervyn Storey DUP North Antrim Patricia O'Lynn Alliance [47]
Rosemary Barton UUP Fermanagh and South Tyrone Tom Elliott UUP [47]
Nichola Mallon SDLP Belfast North Nuala McAllister Alliance [47]
Rachel Woods Green (NI) North Down Connie Egan Alliance [47]

Aftermath

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Main article: 2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation

Shortly before the final results were announced, O'Neill said: "Today ushers in a new era. Irrespective of religious, political or social backgrounds, my commitment is to make politics work."[101] Donaldson stated that the Executive would not sit unless the Northern Ireland Protocol was removed. He later announced that he would not take his Assembly seat, which was co-opted by Emma Little-Pengelly,[102] and the DUP would not be nominating a Speaker until the UK government took "decisive action".[103]

The SDLP responded by accusing the DUP of treating voters with contempt and "mak[ing] our electoral process look like a bad joke".[104] Naomi Long, leader of Alliance, said DUP Assembly Members should not be allowed to claim their salary while they prevented the Assembly from functioning.[105] These disagreements continued a political crisis from before the election, prompting Prime Minister Boris Johnson to visit Northern Ireland to discuss amendments to the Protocol.[106][107]

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refused to resume power sharing due to its stance on the protocol.[108][109] In the absence of an executive being formed, a new election should be called. However, the UK government got primary legislation passed three times to extend the deadline. Multiple negotiations with the DUP and the agreement of the Windsor Framework with the EU failed to produce a resolution.

However, on 30 January 2024, the DUP announced that it had accepted a deal (conditional on legislation being passed by the UK government) that saw it agreeing to form an executive. The Assembly first met on 3 February 2024, which saw Emma Little-Pengelly confirmed as Deputy First Minister, and Michelle O'Neill confirmed as First Minister, with a new executive formed the same day.[110][111]

See also

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Other elections in the UK that were held on the same day:

Footnotes

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  1. ^ O'Neill is the "Party leader in the North" and vice president. Sinn Féin's president is Mary Lou McDonald, but she is not a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, as she is Leader of the Opposition in the neighbouring Republic of Ireland and sits in the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Republic of Ireland's parliament).
  2. ^ As "Party leader in the North"
  3. ^ People Before Profit has a collective leadership, but for the purposes of registration to the UK Electoral Commission, Eamonn McCann is registered as the party's leader in Northern Ireland.[1]
  4. ^ Taylor was suspended from the Greens on 29 April 2022, though his name still appeared on the ballot.[50]
  5. ^ Originally elected as Alliance
  6. ^ Originally elected as DUP

References

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2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election manifestos:

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