The Irish nationalist party, Sinn Fein, has become the largest party in Northern Ireland in Sunday's local election results. But rather than break a political deadlock in the North, Sinn Fein’s striking gains may harden the sectarian divide that has long complicated its fragile government.
By Gwynne Dyer – Four months ago, Jonathan Powell warned that the Good Friday agreement of 1998 that ended 30 years of killing in Northern Ireland was at risk.
Sinn Fein, the Irish nationalist party that wants Northern Ireland out of British rule to create a united Ireland, has won for the first time the largest number of seats in the Belfast legislature, (27 out of 90) and announced that on Monday will be going to Stormont seat of the region's assembly to form a government. Meantime the governments of UK, US and Ireland have called on all parties to agree on a new administration.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Paul Givan Thursday handed in his resignation citing discrepancies regarding Brexit protocols. As a consequence of his decision, Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill also leaves her position as Deputy First Minister, due to the existing power-sharing arrangements dating back to 1998.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar resigned on Thursday but stayed on as interim leader while the country's three main parties battle out coalition talks after an inconclusive election.
Left-wing Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein on Sunday demanded to be part of the next Irish government after tallies indicated it secured the most votes in an election that leader Mary Lou McDonald described as a ballot box revolution.
A Sinn Féin MLA has defended his attendance at the inauguration of the Venezuelan president and denied that the election was fraudulent. Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term as Venezuela's president last Thursday.