Three alliance MLAs 'to help unionists'

Northern Ireland's non-sectarian Alliance party is expecting to redesignate three of its Assembly members as unionists in a bid to keep the province's political institutions alive.

Alliance leader David Ford says he is expecting to change the affiliations of the three in a move that will be "temporary, technical and tactical".

Monday's election of Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and incoming nationalist SDLP leader Mark Durkan as First and Deputy First Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive will save the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Mr Ford said the move to redesignate was explained to his party's executive: "We received their support because they felt it was justifiable under the circumstances.

"The last advice we received from the Ulster Unionists was that three MLAs are required to hold their noses and redesignate for the sake of the vote."

The Alliance agreed to redesignate some of its members from the party's non-aligned position in the Assembly to unionist after the failure of Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan to get elected in an Assembly vote on Friday.

Under Assembly rules, the Ulster unionist leader and the incoming SDLP leader need a majority of unionist MLAs as well as a majority of nationalists.

However when two Ulster Unionists, Peter Weir and Pauline Armitage, defied their leader Mr Trimble, both men fell one vote short of the unionist majority that they required.

The South Antrim MLA said it was important that the cross community voting procedures in the Assembly which govern the election of First and Deputy First Ministers and also apply to a number of other key decisions are changed.

"That is why we pressed for a review," he said.