Assembly first ministers ‘should keep rotating’

The main parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly should provide the First Ministers in rotation, according to a plan drawn up by the Irish Parliament Trust, an independent body set up in 1986 to seek solutions to problems in the North.

In a statement issued today, they say that Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists, the largest single party, should claim the office of First Minister for the first 12 or 18 months with a member of the SDLP as Deputy First Minister.

Sinn Féin’s turn to take the post of First Minister should be limited to six months, with a DUP Deputy First Minister.

The SDLP should also take over for six months, with a Deputy from the DUP or an Independent.

The Ulster Unionists, the second-largest unionist party, should provide the First Minister for the final 12 or 18 months, with the post of Deputy going to the largest anti-unionist party, Sinn Féin.

The Alliance Party should retain the office of Speaker.

A spokesman for the Trust said that these timed rotations should help to ease the previous “unworkable tensions”, and should apply for at least three parliaments.