What happened Storms over Stormont
In a shock election result, Ulster’s unionist parties last week lost their outright majority in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time in the province’s history. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) remained the largest single party in the Stormont parliament even after losing five seats; but Sinn Féin gained an extra four seats, giving the leading nationalist parties, Sinn Féin and the SDLP, a one-seat lead over their two main unionist rivals. The DUP and Sinn Féin now have three weeks to reach an agreement on a power-sharing deal. If they can’t, the province faces either fresh elections or a return to direct rule from Westminster.
The election – the second in a year – was called after the collapse of a previous power-sharing pact in January. Relations between the parties broke down when First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster refused to stand aside during investigations into the botched handling of a green energy scheme that cost taxpayers £500m.
What the editorials said
The election result is a “political earthquake”, said The Belfast Telegraph. It’s not just that the unionists have lost their majority; it’s also that the more moderate parties in both communities – the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP – have both lost ground. Almost 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement, it seems that “Orange-green tribalism is stronger than ever”. There’s certainly little reason for optimism, said The Irish Independent. As long as Arlene Foster refuses to quit as First Minister – a key demand of Sinn Féin – there’s almost no chance of the two parties forming a new power-sharing executive. In other nations, parties might be ready to sink their differences in the interests of good government. In Northern Ireland, such compromise is “an aspiration too far”.
The best hope is that the threat of a return to direct rule from London will persuade the parties to cooperate, said The Times. That prospect is something voters can’t abide – and “small wonder”. The last time Westminster took charge, between 2002 and 2007, Northern Ireland’s pressing everyday concerns went largely neglected.