Numerous press agencies reported on the historic victory of the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein in the elections in Northern Ireland, which were held on May 5. The official tally of the vote was posted about 12 hours ago. It is the first time in a little over 100 years that Sinn Fein was entitled to the post of first minister in Belfast, since Northern Ireland was founded as a Protestant-majority state in 1921.
“Today ushers in a new era,” Sinn Fein Vice-President Michelle O’Neill said shortly before the final results were announced. “Irrespective of religious, political or social backgrounds, my commitment is to make politics work.”
Sinn Fein won 27 of the 90 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Democratic Unionist Party, which has dominated Northern Ireland’s legislature for two decades, captured 24 seats. Over the coming days, the tricky task will be to unite in a new government, which will have to be pulled together under complicated power-sharing agreements and post-Brexit arrangements. One can be sure the Queen will stick her bloody paws into the situation to destabilize Northern Ireland once again. If a new government is unable to be formed within six months, the administration will collapse, triggering a new election and more uncertainty.
