DUP success threatens peace process
The party’s 178,000 first preference votes hardened opposition to British Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair’s plans to restore a power-sharing executive in Belfast.
With Sinn Féin hammering Mark Durkan’s SDLP, the next Stormont Assembly will have a majority of unionists opposed to the 1998 peace accord.
The result is a huge setback for British and Irish Government hopes of getting the peace process up and running again.
Northern Secretary Paul Murphy is expected to have talks with all sides next week, but Mr Blair and Mr Ahern face an indefinite delay in trying to restore devolution.
As they prepared for talks in Cardiff tomorrow, a triumphant Dr Paisley declared: “It’s a great day for Ulster.” His party was humiliated when more than 70% of people backed the Good Friday Agreement in a referendum five years ago.
But increasing unionist disillusionment with the accord and lingering doubts over Sinn Féin’s commitment to a future free of violence signalled a spectacular comeback.
Sinn Féin last night increased its lead over the SDLP, whose vote collapsed in a number of key constituencies, with the former West Belfast MP Dr Joe Hendron the biggest casualty.
The smaller Women’s Coalition and Progressive Unionists were facing meltdown, as the vote shifted dramatically to the two extremes leaving the middle-of-the-road also struggling.
The full results will not be known until tomorrow afternoon, but there were clear indications that Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble would face new pressures when he returned to Stormont. After he topped the poll in Upper Bann, David Trimble tried to shift the focus on republicans and the future of the IRA.
“My ultimate aim is to see a society here operating entirely peacefully and democratically and so, the first object now, as it was beforehand, is the matter of compelling republicans that they have to now abandon all elements of their military machine,” he said.
Ulster Unionist strategists were hoping to recover some ground from the DUP under the proportional representation system as votes were transferred between candidates.
However, Mr Trimble faced the uncomfortable fact that two of his biggest internal critics, Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson and South Antrim MP David Burnside would lead a stronger cabal of anti-Agreement Ulster Unionists at Stormont.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan was putting a brave face on his party’s disappointing performance, blaming the low turnout and a problem with resources. Mr Durkan, whose party had urged voters during the campaign to Stop the DUP, said he feared for the future of the Agreement following the DUP and Sinn Féin’s gains.
“I’m worried, not so much for the SDLP or whatever, I’m just worried about what this result means for our political process, what it means for the future of the Agreement,” he said.
With Sinn Féin poised to make gains in North Antrim, North Belfast, South Belfast and Newry and Armagh, Gerry Adams basked in his party’s strong performance.
“We asked people to endorse the risks we were taking for the peace process; we stood on our record in the assembly and the executive,” the West Belfast MP said.
In the most sensational result, a single issue hospitals candidate Dr Kieran Deeny topped the poll in West
Tyrone, which is likely to cost the struggling SDLP another seat.
At 11pm, as candidates approached the end of the first day’s count, the DUP had 19 seats, the Ulster Unionists had 12 Assembly members, Sinn Féin had 14, the SDLP had three with one independent. The DUP had 25.71% of the overall vote. Sinn Fein had 23.52%; UUPs had 22.68% and the SDLP had 16.99%.
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