Ruane tops poll and urges DUP to end excuses

Sinn Féin’s Caitriona Ruane topped the poll in South Down with a firm warning to the DUP to meet the March 26 deadline for power sharing.

Polling a handful of votes short of the 6,588 quota, Ruane said: “The date we’re looking at is March 26. The DUP need to stop making excuses. They wanted this election and they got it and this is their mandate from their people.”

However the SDLP just about held onto its position as the strongest party in South Down with 31% of first preferences.

Margaret Ritchie and PJ Bradley both polled strongly and had a chance of bringing in Michael Carr for the final seat on their transfers.

Ritchie said: “We did well as a team and personally I’m happy to see I made big gains on 2003.”

Greens candidate Ciaran Mussen also registered a credible 1,622 votes after the first count and could climb higher after Independent and Alliance candidates are eliminated.

Jim Wells of the DUP and Sinn Féin’s Willie Clarke looked like taking the fourth and fifth seats.