Support surges for smaller parties in NI local polls

BELFAST: There has been a surge in support for Northern Ireland’s smaller parties in the local government elections.

Alliance and the Greens have topped the polls in many areas, picking up additional seats in a number of councils. With all 462 seats filled in 11 councils, Alliance is celebrating victories across the country, which saw its representation jump by 65 per cent.

However, the political landscape in Northern Ireland stays much the same as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) remains the country’s largest. The unionist party gained 24.1 per cent first preference votes — up by 1 per cent — and ended the election with 122 seats, a loss of eight seats compared to the 2014 council elections.

Sinn Fein suffered a slight dent to its support base with 23.2 per cent first preference votes — a drop of 0.8 per cent. The party walked away with 105 council seats, the same number of seats they won in 2014.

The Alliance party saw a surge in its share of votes which increased from 6.7 per cent to 11.5 per cent. Its number of seats rose from 32 to 53.

The Green party and independents also made significant gains across the 11 councils. The Green party’s Mal O’Hara was elected to Belfast City Council in what has been a hugely successful election for his party in Northern Ireland’s capital. The party doubled its representation and now has eight seats.

The Ulster Unionist Party suffered some of its biggest causalities with the loss of high-profile Belfast councillor Jeff Dudgeon. In a disastrous election for his party in Belfast, Dudgeon was eliminated on the third stage of the count. The party now has 75 council seats, a loss of 13 compared to the last local government elections.

The SDLP also lost seven councillors and gained 12 per cent of first preference votes — a drop of 1.6 per cent.The Traditional Unionist Voice suffered a heavy blow to its representation after losing over half of their seats. The party have been left with six seats. Independents made significant gains taking 23 seats. People Before Profit added a councillor to its representation, taking home five seats.

In Omagh, a former MP who resigned after angering relatives of 10 Protestants shot dead in a sectarian massacre won a council seat. Barry McElduff was forced to resign his Westminster seat last year amid an outcry after he posted a video of himself balancing a loaf of Kingsmill bread on his head.

Meanwhile, the son of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane was elected to Belfast City Council. John Finucane was elected on the first count of the Castle district electoral area — which encompasses parts of north Belfast — with 1,650 votes, just behind the Alliance party’s Nuala McAllister, who attracted 1,787 votes.

Independent republican councillor Gary Donnelly topped the poll in the Moor district electoral area of Derry City and Strabane District Council. He is considered one of the public faces of dissident republicanism in Northern Ireland. Donnelly’s election comes weeks after dissident republicans murdered journalist Lyra McKee during disturbances in Londonderry.