Defiant Paisley tops poll in North Antrim

A jubilant Ian Paisley punched the air after again topping the poll in North Antrim and immediately declared: "We beat the Shinners."

Only the Democratic Unionist party leader and Sinn Féin candidate Daithi McKay made the quota on the first count.

But with Ian Paisley Jnr and Mervyn Storey close to the 6,334 vote threshold, the DUP was at least expecting to equal the three Assembly seats it took here in 2003.

The party's fourth candidate, Deirdre Nelson was left waiting for transfers to make it a possible clean sweep.

But Sinn Féin also polled strongly in the unionist heartland, with Mr McKay adding more than 800 first preference votes to poll 7,065 on his Assembly election debut.

After his re-election, Mr Paisley claimed his party was making history and that it had added 10% to its vote.

He also hit out at those who had criticised him amid fears he was preparing to go into government at Stormont with Sinn Féin.

He said: "This has been a bitter election and very bitter things have been said against me.

"There was an attempt to destroy by credibility, my honesty and especially my integrity as a Christian minister but they all failed miserably and they will not win with their lies. I had the truth on my side."

Mr Paisley also issued a defiant message to republicans.

He added: "The DUP will not be entering into any talks with any association with terrorists.

"We are against terrorism, we have fought it all our days and we will fight it all our days.

"Thank God we have broken its backbone in this election and we will only have to bury its body."