Ferdinand Marcos Jr has refused to acknowledge human rights abuses and plunder during his father’s dictatorship and has appealed for national unity

Early voting is under way in Australia’s federal election, with the opposition party hoping the first ballots will reflect its lead over the government in opinion polls.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald accuses DUP of 'political posturing' on the protocol which will only cause suffering for families and workers as the cost of living soars

The new party order means Sinn Féin is entitled to nominate the next first minister

The US and Irish administrations have also urged parties to take the necessary steps to re-establish a powersharing executive

Sinn Féin became the first nationalist or republican party to become the largest in the Northern Ireland Assembly with 27 seats, ahead of the DUP on 25

Sinn Fein’s Padraig Delargy topped the poll with 20% of first preference votes while running mate Ciara Ferguson took a second seat for the party

Sinn Féin has swept aside many years of history and is on course to become the first nationalist or republican party to take the largest share of seats in a Northern Ireland Assembly election

Mary Lou McDonald: "We look forward to an Executive being established, I look forward to Michelle O’Neill being nominated as first minister and to have politics that delivers for people."

North Antrim saw a significant shift in power in the traditional DUP heartland, with Mervyn Storey losing the seat he had held since 2003.

Once derided as a metropolitan party whose support base was confined to greater Belfast and the surrounding areas, Alliance has now stretched its geographical reach into areas where seat gains had once not even been contemplated

Following a challenging election campaign, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson received a sizeable personal endorsement in his home constituency of Lagan Valley. Jeffrey polled more than 12,600 votes, more than 4,000 higher than any other candidate.

Declan Kearney from Sinn Féin said Northern Ireland needed to move forward with a “First Minister for all” after he topped the poll in the South Antrim constituency. He easily exceeded the 7,623 quota with 9,185 first preference votes.

The result in the Newry and Armagh constituency remained largely unchanged after all the votes were cast as Sinn Féin held on to three seats. It was a long wait, but by midnight on Friday all seats in the constituency were filled.

The DUP’s Edwin Poots has paid tribute to the late DUP MLA Christopher Stalford, after winning his Stormont seat back for the party.

It was early on Friday, as the first tallies and votes were counted, that SDLP figures privately conceded that hopes of a third MLA would not materialise in the face of a strong Sinn Féin performance

Asked about the possibility of her taking the first minister role, Michelle O'Neill said: 'It is very early to say, let’s get all the votes counted.'

Counting is set to continue into the early hours of Saturday

Simon Coveney said it could be months until an executive is formed in Northern Ireland after the Assembly election

The counting process will start at 8am on Friday to elect 90 MLAs to the devolved Assembly, with 239 candidates running

The Northern Ireland Protocol, the possibility of a border poll, the cost-of-living crisis and the future of the Stormont powersharing Executive were among the key issues during the Northern Ireland election campaign.

Voting is under way in the Northern Ireland Assembly election. The process is taking place amid speculation of a potentially seismic result.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson spent his final day canvassing in Belfast while Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill spent time in Mid Ulster

Conradh na Gaeilge have set out five commitments which they have asked political parties to support ahead of Thursday’s Assembly elections

The survey of voter intentions has Sinn Féin on 26.6%, slightly down from the previous University of Liverpool poll when it was on 27%.

Irish Examiner political staff Aoife Moore and Elaine Loughlin run the rule over Sinn Féin's policies on a number of key issues

The impact of Brexit has led a lot of people to consider the question of whether Northern Ireland should remain within the UK, Michelle O’Neill has said.

While a page of the Sinn Féin manifesto is dedicated to planning for unity, it was not one of the issues the party chose to focus on as it unveiled the document on Monday morning

The far-right has gone mainstream in France. That is the headline from the landmark showing by Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election.

After winning another five years in the French presidential palace, Emmanuel Macron intends to go back to work immediately on domestic and foreign policy – but he will soon face crucial parliamentary elections where he may struggle to keep his ...

Emmanuel Macron has comfortably won re-election to a second term as French president.

An opposition liberal party has convincingly won a parliamentary election in Slovenia, according to early official results.

Exit polls in Slovenia’s parliamentary vote on Sunday suggested a strong lead for the opposition liberals over the ruling right-wing populists of the prime minister, Janez Jansa.

France has started voting in a presidential runoff election with repercussions for Europe’s future, with centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron the front-runner but fighting a tough challenge from far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

Chief Inspector Lynne Corbett said police investigate all incidents reported to them.

France began voting in a presidential run-off election on Sunday in a race between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

France’s April 10 first-round vote eliminated 10 other presidential candidates, and who becomes the country’s next leader — Mr Macron or Ms Le Pen — will largely depend on what supporters of those losing candidates do on Sunday

Emmanuel Macron is in pole position to win re-election in France’s presidential runoff – but his lead over his far-right rival Marine Le Pen depends on how many voters decide to stay at home.

France’s presidential contenders Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen raced on the last day of campaigning on Friday to drive home why their particular political brand is the right choice for voters.

Jim Allister has been the TUV’s sole MLA since 2011

Just days before France’s crucial presidential run-off vote, the centre-left leaders of Germany, Spain and Portugal have urged French voters to choose centrist President Emmanuel Macron over far-right nationalist rival Marine Le Pen.

From attacks on “wokeism” to crackdowns on mosques, France’s presidential campaign has been especially challenging for voters of immigrant heritage and religious minorities, as discourse painting them as “the other” has gained ground across a swathe ...

Both candidates need to broaden support before Sunday’s vote. Many French, especially on the left, say they still do not know whether they will even go to the polls

Centrist president Emmanuel Macron and far-right contender Marine Le Pen will meet in a one-on-one television debate that could prove decisive before Sunday’s run-off vote in France’s presidential campaign.