The DUP and Sinn Féin have been confirmed as the two largest parties in Northern Ireland after last week’s Assembly poll.
The results see the DUP’s Assembly seats rise from 36 to 38; Sinn Féingain an extra seat taking their tally to 29; the Alliance Party gain one taking their seats to eight, while the big losers on the day were the SDLP and the UUP who both lost two MLAs, falling to 14 and 16 respectively.
The three remaining seats were taken by the Greens, Traditional Unionist Voice and an independent.
Both First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness topped the polls in East Belfast and Mid-Ulster, confirming their popularity with the public who backed their two parties in government who, along with Alliance, have been working closely together at Stormont since policing and justice was transferred from London to Belfast last year.
The biggest results of the day was Sinn Féin taking five of the six seats in West Belfast, just as they did four years ago however this time without Gerry Adams on the ticket, and the DUP winning four out of six in Lagan Valley.
To compound a tough day for the SDLP, Sinn Féin took three seats in Fermanagh/South Tyrone with the SDLP’s veteran politician Tommy Gallagher losing out in the process. The SDLP also now has no representation in County Antrim.
Out of 24 seats in Belfast, the Ulster Unionist Party, who were once the dominant force of northern politics, now only have two MLAs.
During his acceptance speech, Peter Robinson dedicated his win to PSNI Constable Ronan Kerr, who was murdered by dissident republicans in Omagh last month.
“He wanted to serve his community. And in the words of his mother, she wanted to ensure that people wouldcome out and support the way forward peacefully in Northern Ireland,” he said.
Speaking at his election count in Ballymena, Sinn Fein’s MartinMcGuinness said that he wanted to see “more realism” from the UUP and SDLP.
“I would like to see those parties as well as the Alliance Party working in the spirit of co-operation,” he said.“If Peter Robinson and I can work together, then surely all of those parties can work with us.”
Meanwhile, the SDLP and DUP leaders have come under pressure following Thursday’s Assembly and council polls.
Both parties lost seats to their rivals in Sinn Féin and the UUP, while the Ulster Unionists may also have lost a seat at the Executive table to Alliance.
Ulster Unionist leader Tom Elliott further dismayed the liberal wing of his party when he hit out at “Sinn Fein scum” after being elected to Fermanagh/South Tyrone.
To jeers from the crowd he also derided Sinn Féin supporters for waving a “foreign flag” [the tricolor]. He has spent the days following the election defending his outburst which has only added to his woes as the pressure mounts on his leadership from within.
One former member of the party, David McClarty, who was deselected by the party and subsequently ran as an independent in East Derry and was elected, described Elliot’s comments as making Jim Allister [TUV leader]sound like the Dalai Lama.
Cathair Kerr, the brother of Constable Ronan Kerr, posted a message on Twitter describing Elliott’s views as “prehistoric”.
For her part, Margaret Ritchie appears to be living on borrowed time as SDLP leader. Over the weekend, several SDLP MLAs had to be pushed to express support for the South Down poll-topper.
