Sinn Féin wins resoundingly in the municipal elections of Northern Ireland

2023-05-21 21:35:56

A tsunami. This has been described the victory of the Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin in the local elections held last Thursday in Northern Ireland. The results, released this weekend, give this formation more than half of the councilor positions that were disputed at the polls.

In total, Sinn Féin has obtained 144 tally sheets in the eleven constituencies compared to 122 for the DUP, 67 for the Alliance Party, 54 for Ulster Unionists, 39 for the Social Democratic and Labor Party and 36 for other formations, as reported yesterday. the Irish television channel RTE. The party leadership interpreted these results as support from the population for the restitution of the Northern Irish autonomous institutions, which remain on hold after the withdrawal of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which resigned from governing in coalition with Sinn Féin. The British Government also asked the DUP yesterday to resume the autonomous government and reactivate the Parliament of Stormont.

However, nothing points in that direction, since the DUP continues to retain the 122 councilors it had before the elections, which would consolidate the strategy of its leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, in the face of those within who are asking him for a change of direction. «We cannot continue in a situation in which the unionist vote continues to split. The result is that seats are given away to Sinn Féin and other parties,” Donaldson warned his followers yesterday. The DUP disagrees with the agreements signed between London and the EU to resolve the border dispute over Brexit.

For the Vice President of Sinn Féin and leader of the party in the Stomont Assembly, Michelle O’Neill, the sweet victory obtained in these elections follows the “inertia” derived from the “commitment of the people” with the political principles of the party. “It was about achieving positive leadership, recovering the (autonomous) government, making politics work, connecting with the electorate, who has gone to the polls,” she declared.