Turn out in force, Trimble tells voters

Northern Ireland’s politicians were today embarking on another intense week of campaigning in the run up to this month’s Assembly elections.

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble was urging Unionist voters to turn out in force on November 26.

With Mr Trimble’s party engaged in a fierce battle with the Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists, a UUP party source said: “We will be urging people to turn out in this crucial election.

“Every vote is important.”

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams was officially launching his party’s campaign.

Having overtaken the nationalist SDLP in the popular vote in the 2001 Westminster and local government elections, the party is hoping to become the largest nationalist party in the Assembly.

Last week Mr Adams launched Sinn Féin’s Belfast campaign, saying his party could take up to a third of Belfast’s 24 seats at Stormont.

SDLP leader Mark Durkan was campaigning in Derry for the location of some government departments outside of Belfast.

The Democratic Unionists were expected to focus on the economy.