6th Northern Ireland Assembly
This is a list of the 90 members of the sixth Northern Ireland Assembly, the unicameral devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. The election took place on 2 March 2017, with counting finishing the following day; voter turnout was estimated at 64.8%.[1]
| 6th Northern Ireland Assembly | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Overview | |||||||||
| Legislative body | Assembly | ||||||||
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland | ||||||||
| Meeting place | Parliament Buildings, Stormont | ||||||||
| Term | 2 March 2017 – 27 March 2022 | ||||||||
| Election | 2017 assembly election | ||||||||
| Government | Executive of the 6th Assembly | ||||||||
| Members | 90 | ||||||||
| Speaker | Alex Maskey | ||||||||
| First Minister | Arlene Foster / Paul Givan | ||||||||
| Deputy First Minister | Michelle O'Neill | ||||||||
| Sessions | |||||||||
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Only five (rather than six) MLAs were elected from each of the 18 constituencies, following the Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.[2] The reduction negatively affected Unionist candidates whose bloc lost its majority for the first time in the history of the Assembly. The SDLP was also negatively impacted, losing its only West Belfast seat.[3]
Incumbent Speaker Robin Newton informally convened the Assembly on 22 March to pay tribute to the former deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who had died the day before.[4]
However, with the DUP and Sinn Féin unable to agree to form their mandatory coalition government, the Assembly did not formally convene. On 27 April, talks were paused until after a snap general election on 8 June, with a deadline of 29 June 2017 for the parties to reach agreement,[5] but this deadline was repeatedly extended over the next three years. The DUP, Sinn Féin and other parties finally agreed terms on 10 January 2020.[6]
Party strengths
| Party | Designation | Mar 2017 election |
Mar 2022 end | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | Democratic Unionist Party | Unionist | 28 | 26 |
| ● | Sinn Féin | Nationalist | 27 | 26 |
| ● | Social Democratic and Labour Party | Nationalist | 12 | 12 |
| ● | Ulster Unionist Party | Unionist | 10 | 10 |
| ● | Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | Other | 8 | 7 |
| Green Party Northern Ireland | Other | 2 | 2 | |
| Traditional Unionist Voice | Unionist | 1 | 1 | |
| People Before Profit | Other | 1 | 1 | |
| Independent | Other | 0 | 1 | |
| Independent Unionist | Unionist | 1 | 3 | |
| Speaker[n 1] | None | 0 | 1 | |
| Totals by Designation | Unionist | 40 | 40 | |
| Nationalist | 39 | 38 | ||
| Other | 11 | 11 | ||
| None | 0 | 1 | ||
| Total | 90 | 90 | ||
| ● = Northern Ireland Executive | ||||
Graphical representation
As elected, 2 March 2017_Assembly.svg.png.webp)
9 May 2018
Current composition, from 10 January 2019
Current composition following the election of the Speaker from Sinn Féin, 11 January 2020
Parties arranged roughly on the nationalist-unionist spectrum
MLAs by party
† Co-opted to replace an elected MLA
‡ Changed affiliation during the term
MLAs by constituency
† Co-opted to replace an elected MLA ‡ Changed affiliation during the term
Changes since the election
† Co-options
‡ Changes in affiliation
| Date | Constituency | Name | Previous affiliation | New affiliation | Circumstance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 May 2018 | South Down | Jim Wells | DUP | Ind. Unionist | DUP whip withdrawn from Jim Wells following criticisms of the party leadership.[21] | ||
| 11 January 2020 | Belfast West | Alex Maskey | Sinn Féin | Speaker | Alex Maskey elected Speaker of the Assembly at its first sitting. | ||
| 2 March 2020 | Lagan Valley | Trevor Lunn | Alliance | Independent | Trevor Lunn resigned from Alliance due to "internal difficulties".[22] | ||
| 1 July 2021 | North Down | Alex Easton | DUP | Ind. Unionist | Alex Easton resigned from the DUP following changes in the party leadership.[23] | ||
Notes
- Once elected, the Speaker relinquishes party affiliation.
References
- "Northern Ireland Assembly election 2017 results". BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- "Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- McClafferty, Enda. "Assembly election 'a brutal result for unionism'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
- "Tributes to mark the passing of former deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness". YouTube. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
- "Stormont talks paused until after General Election". ITV News. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
- "Parties return to Stormont after striking deal". 11 January 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- "New MLAs". The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- "New MLA - South Antrim Constituency". The Electoral Office of Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- McCormack, Jayne (27 June 2018). "First openly gay MLA takes Stormont seat". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- "Sinn Féin co-opt Emma Sheerin in Mid Ulster". The Irish News. 24 November 2018. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- "MLA Details: Ms Martina Anderson". Aims.niassembly.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- "East Londonderry: Hunter replaces John Dallat as MLA". BBC News. 18 May 2020. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- "Nicola Brogan to replace Sinn Fein's Catherine Kelly as West Tyrone MLA following Covid payment scandal". Belfast Telegraph. 6 November 2020. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- "Like father like son for Dunne family as councillor co-opted as DUP MLA". BBC. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- "Michelle O'Neill pays tribute to Sinn Fein MLA Sean Lynch as he steps down after 10 years". Belfast Telegraph. 4 July 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- "Sinn Féin selects Pádraig Delargy and Ciara Ferguson as new Foyle MLAs". BBC. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- "Deborah Erskine replaces Arlene Foster as Fermanagh-South Tyrone MLA". BBC News. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- "Sinn Fein selects former world handball champion Aisling Reilly as new west Belfast MLA". Belfast Telegraph. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- "DUP confirm Edwin Poots will take Christopher Stalford's South Belfast seat". BBC News. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- "Declaration of Return of New MLA - Lagan Valley Constituency". The Electoral Office of Northern Ireland. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- "DUP's Wells has the whip withdrawn after attack on leadership". Belfasttelegraph. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- "Trevor Lunn resigns from Alliance Party". Belfast Telegraph. 2 March 2020. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- Breen, Suzanne (1 July 2021). "Fresh DUP crisis as MLA Alex Easton quits accusing party of having 'no respect, discipline or decency'". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
| Assembly |   | |
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| Committees | ||
| Constituencies | ||
| Parties | ||
| Elections | ||
| Members |
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| Procedure | ||
| See also | ||
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