NEW NORTHERN IRELAND
ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
25 June 1998
The New Northern Ireland Assembly was elected using the Single Transferable Vote to elect six members from each parliamentary constituency.
The number of seats as at 27 June 1998 were as follows:
| Party | Type of party | Seats |
| Ulster Unionist Party Social Democratic and Labour Party Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin Alliance Party of Northern Ireland UK Unionist Party Progressive Unionist Party Northern Ireland Women's Coalition Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist - United Unionist Unionist |
Unionist Nationalist Unionist Nationalist Cross-community Unionist Unionist Cross-community Unionist Unionist Unionist |
28 |
The "type of party" column is given as motions carried by the Assembly require the support of both Unionist and Nationalist members. The Assembly has 58 Unionist members, 42 Nationalist members and 8 others (including the Speaker).
The first preference vote total for these elections is as follows:
1 |
Social Democratic and Labour Party Ulster Unionist Party Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin Alliance Party of Northern Ireland UK Unionist Party Progressive Unionist Party Northern Ireland Women's Coalition Ulster Democratic Party Unionist Ulster Unionist - United Unionist Ulster Unionist Labour Party of Northern Ireland Workers' Party Independent Conservative Unionist (Independent) Economics Senior Lecturer Independent Community Ulster Independence Movement Natural Law Party Socialist Party Green Party Nationalist (Independent) Independent Community Candidate Community and Environmental Conservation Campaign Independent Labour Independent Together to the New Millennium Ulster's Independent Voice Independent Nationalist Independent Unionist Energy 106 Party |
177,963 |
22% |
TOTAL |
810,317 |
DEVELOPMENTS SINCE 27 June 1998
General
1 July 1998: The New Northern Ireland Assembly met for the first time; David Trimble (UUP, Upper Bann) was elected First Minister and Seamus Mallon (SDLP, Newry and Armagh) Deputy First Minister. Lord Alderdice of Knock (All, Belfast East) had been appointed Presiding Officer by the Northern Ireland Secretary, Mo Mowlam.
2 December 1999: Power was devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive, which had been elected by the Assembly on 29 November.
14 February 2000: The Executive was suspended and direct rule restored from Westminster.
14 May 2000: Power was again devolved to the Executive.
1 July 2001: The First Minister, Rt Hon David Trimble, resigned in order to force decommissioning of IRA weapons. His post has not yet been filled.
11 August 2001: The Executive was suspended for one day in order to buy more time for the peace process; this happened again on 23 September 2001.
Replacements
| M.L.A. | Constituency | Vacated seat | Reason | Replaced by |
| John Hume (S.D.L.P.) | Foyle | 1 Dec. 2000 | Retirement (to concentrate on his duties at Westminster and Brussels) | Annie Courtney (S.D.L.P) |
| Tom Benson (U.U.P.) | Strangford | 24 Dec. 2000 | Death | Tom Hamilton (U.U.P.) |
| Arthur Doherty (SDLP) | Londonderry East | 1 Sept 2002 | Resignation | Michael Coyle (SDLP) |
Defections
| M.L.A.(s) | Constituency | Party before defection | Date of leaving | Reason for leaving | Party after defection |
| William Agnew | Belfast North | "Ulster Unionist" | 21 Sept. 1998 | To form a new party. | United Unionist Assembly Party |
| Boyd Douglas | Londonderry East | "Unionist" | |||
| Denis Watson | Upper Bann | "Ulster Unionist - United Unionist" | |||
| Norman Boyd | Antrim South | U.K. Unionist Party | 15 Jan. 1999 | To form a new party. | Northern Ireland Unionist Party |
| Roger Hutchinson | Antrim East | ||||
| Patrick Roche | Lagan Valley | ||||
| Cedric Wilson | Strangford | ||||
| Roger Hutchinson | Antrim East | Northern Ireland Unionist Party | 2 Dec. 1999 | Expelled from N.I.U.P. for voting for the creation of the power-sharing executive (against N.I.U.P. policy) | "Independent Unionist" |
| Pauline Armitage | Londonderry East | Ulster Unionist Party | 9 Nov. 2001 | Expelled from party for voting against the re-election of UUP leader David Trimble as First Minister | "Independent Unionist" |
| Peter Weir | Down North | Ulster Unionist Party | 9 Nov. 2001 | "Independent Unionist" | |
| "Independent Unionist" | 30 Apr. 2002 | Democratic Unionist Party |
John Taylor (UUP, Strangford) received a life peerage in the 2001 Dissolution Honours, taking the title Lord Kilclooney. Hutchinson stood as a DUP candidate in the 2001 council elections but is still listed as an Independent Unionist on the Assembly's website.
Current make-up of the NI Assembly: UUP 28, SDLP 24, DUP 20, SF 18, All 5, NIUP 3, UUAP 3, NIWC 2, PUP 2, Ind U 1, UKU 1, Speaker (non-voting) 1. The 108 members of the Assembly are known as MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly).
SEATS WON IN THE ASSEMBLY
Seats are given in order of election in each constituency.
Abbreviations:
| All. DUP NIWC PUP SDLP SF U UDP UKU UU UUP UUU |
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party Northern Ireland Women's Coalition Progressive Unionist Party Social Democratic and Labour Party Sinn Féin Unionist Ulster Democratic Party UK Unionist Party Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party Ulster Unionist - United Unionist |
| ANTRIM EAST (6) UUP 30% (2) DUP 22% (1) All 20% (1) UKU 8% (1) SDLP 6% (1) |
UUP All DUP UUP UKU SDLP |
Roy Beggs Sean Neeson David Hilditch Ken Robinson Roger Hutchinson Danny O'Connor |
| ANTRIM NORTH (6) DUP 38% (3) UUP 22% (2) SDLP 17% (1) SF 8%, Ind U 7% |
DUP DUP SDLP UUP DUP UUP |
Revd Dr Ian Paisley Ian Paisley, Jnr. Sean Farren Revd Robert Coulter Gardiner Kane James Leslie |
| ANTRIM SOUTH (6) UUP 30% (2) DUP 20% (1) SDLP 18% (1) UKU 10% (1) All 9% (1), SF 7% |
UUP DUP UKU SDLP UUP All |
Jim Wilson Wilson Clyde Norman Boyd Donovan McClelland Duncan Shipley Dalton David Ford |
| BELFAST EAST (6) DUP 31% (2) UUP 24% (2) All 18% (1) PUP 14% (1) |
DUP All PUP UUP DUP UUP |
Peter Robinson Lord Alderdice of Knock David Ervine Reg Empey Sammy Wilson Dr Ian Adamson |
| BELFAST NORTH (6) SF 21% (1) DUP 21% (1) SDLP 21% (1) UUP 11% (1) PUP 9% (1), UU 7% (1) |
DUP SDLP SF PUP UUP UU |
Nigel Dodds Alban Maginness Gerry Kelly Billy Hutchinson Fred Cobain William Agnew |
| BELFAST SOUTH (6) UUP 23% (2) SDLP 22% (2) DUP 13% (1) All 10%, NIWC 10% (1) SF 6%, PUP 5% |
UUP SDLP UUP DUP NIWC SDLP |
Michael McGimpsey Dr Alasdair McDonnell Dr Esmond Birnie Mark Robinson Prof Monica McWilliams Carmel Hanna |
| BELFAST WEST (6) SF 59% (4) SDLP 25% (2) |
SF SDLP SF SF SF SDLP |
Gerry Adams Dr Joe Hendron Sue Ramsey Bairbre de Brún Alex Maskey Alex Attwood |
| DOWN NORTH (6) UUP 33% (3) UKU 22% (1) All 14% (1) DUP 7% SDLP 5%, NIWC 5% (1) |
UKU UUP UUP All NIWC UUP |
Robert McCartney John Gorman Alan McFarland Eileen Bell Jane Morrice Peter Weir |
| DOWN SOUTH (6) SDLP 45% (3) DUP 15% (1) SF 15% (1) UUP 14% (1) UKU 5% |
SDLP SF UUP SDLP DUP SDLP |
Eddie McGrady Mick Murphy Dermot Nesbitt Patrick Bradley Jim Wells Eamon O'Neill |
| FERMANAGH AND TYRONE SOUTH
(6) SF 27% (2) UUP 25% (2) SDLP 22% (1) DUP 14% (1) UKU 8% |
SDLP UUP SF SF UUP DUP |
Tommy Gallagher Sam Foster Gerry McHugh Michelle Gildernew Joan Carson Maurice Morrow |
| FOYLE (6) SDLP 47% (3) SF 25% (2) DUP 12% (1) UUP 9% |
SDLP SF SDLP SDLP DUP SF |
John Hume Mitchel McLaughlin Mark Durkan John Tierney William Hay Mary Nelis |
| LAGAN VALLEY (6) UUP 31% (2) DUP 18% (1) All 15% (1) UKU 12% (1) SDLP 9% (1), UDP 8% |
All UUP DUP UUP UKU SDLP |
Seamus Close Billy Bell Edwin Poots Ivan Davies Patrick Roche Patricia Lewsley |
| LONDONDERRY EAST (6) UUP 25% (2) DUP 24% (1) SDLP 24% (2) SF 10% U 10% (1), All 6% |
DUP UUP SDLP SDLP UUP U |
Gregory Campbell David McClarty John Dallat Arthur Doherty Pauline Armitage Boyd Douglas |
| NEWRY AND ARMAGH (6) SDLP 35% (2) SF 26% (2) UUP 18% (1) DUP 13% (1) |
SDLP DUP UUP SF SF SDLP |
Seamus Mallon Paul Berry Danny Kennedy Pat McNamee Conor Murphy John Fee |
| STRANGFORD (6) UUP 29% (2) DUP 28% (2) All 12% (1) SDLP 9% UKU 7% (1), Ind U 5% |
DUP UUP All UUP UKU DUP |
Iris Robinson Rt Hon John Taylor Kieran McCarthy Tom Benson Cedric Wilson Jim Shannon |
| TYRONE WEST (6) SF 34% (2) SDLP 26% (2) DUP 17% (1) UUP 16% (1) |
DUP SF SDLP UUP SDLP SF |
Oliver Gibson Pat Doherty Joe Byrne Derek Hussey Eugene McMenamin Barry McElduff |
| ULSTER MID (6) SF 41% (3) SDLP 22% (1) DUP 21% (1) UUP 14% (1) |
DUP SF UUP SF SDLP SF |
Revd Dr William McCrea Martin McGuinness Billy Armstrong Francie Molloy Denis Haughey John Kelly |
| UPPER BANN (6) UUP 29% (2) SDLP 24% (1) DUP 16% (1) SF 14% (1) UUU 10% (1) |
UUP SDLP SF DUP UUU UUP |
Rt Hon David Trimble Brid Rogers Dr Dara O'Hagan Mervyn Caddick Denis Watson George Savage |
Last updated 26 VIIber 2001