The Northern Ireland Assembly Election 2011

Abstract

Following the first full term of regional government in the province since 1972, the Northern Ireland Assembly election held on 5 May 2011 saw the continuation of several trends. Foremost, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin bolstered further their positions as leaders of their respective communities, with the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Ulster Unionist Party losing yet more ground. Building on their decision to enter power-sharing government together in 2007, the two largest parties framed themselves as the progressive choice for voters. As this was the first Assembly election since St Andrews (2006), much of the campaign dialogue centred on the prospect of a Sinn Féin First Minister, a concern highlighted by both unionist parties. The campaign also focused on ‘normal’ socio-economic political issues and possible institutional reform. The absence of inter-party conflict led to the campaign being perceived as the most mundane in living memory, with fears of a record low turnout realised.

Keywords:

• Northern Ireland Assembly
• elections
• campaign
• political parties

Acknowledgement

A great degree of gratitude is owed to John Garry who advised on an earlier draft of this paper.

Notes

The 2011 Assembly election ran concurrently alongside a local council election and a national referendum on electoral reform, with all three elections scheduled for 5 May. Results in the local council election largely mirrored those at the Assembly level, with the DUP and Sinn Féin consolidating their positions as the largest parties in their respective ethno-national blocs. Even with a net loss of seven seats from their 2005 tally of 182, the DUP extended its advantage over the UUP to 76 after the latter lost 16 seats. Sinn Féin added 12 seats to the 126 won in 2005, with the SDLP losing 14 seats. Alliance would boast the biggest net gain with 14 seats, boosting its overall total to 44 and doubling the party's representation in Belfast. Notably, the TUV would win six council seats overall, after fielding 41 candidates in 19 constituencies. In the national referendum a ‘No’ vote of 67.9 per cent was returned on replacing first-past-the-post with the alternative vote system for future Westminster elections. In Northern Ireland, the final region to declare its verdict, a total of 372,702 voted ‘No’, while 289,088 supported the ‘Yes’ camp.