Will a nationalist party victory in Northern Ireland result in secession from the United Kingdom?

The historic victory of the nationalist Sinn Fein party in the local elections in Northern Ireland led to an earthquake with uncertain results. London, Sunday (8), called on the leaders of Northern Ireland to meet to form a local executive and to ensure the “stability” of the British province.

Sinn Fein, which supported the unification of Belfast with the Republic of Ireland – which is not part of the United Kingdom – became the party with the most seats in Northern Ireland. Thursday’s elections (5). The party won 27 of the 90 seats in the local assembly, compared to 25 for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which favored keeping Northern Ireland within the British monarchy.

The DUP has threatened to boycott the new local executive, whose leadership must be co-led by Republicans and unionists under the 1998 Good Friday Peace Accords, if its demands for Brexit are not met. Michelle O’Neill, leader of the Sinn Fein party and the former political arm of the armed IRA, said on Saturday that Northern Ireland was entering a “new era”. Victory should propel O’Neill to the position of head of the local government.

The Good Friday Peace Accords, which in 1998 ended three decades of bloody conflict between Catholic Republicans and Protestant trade unionists, solidify the division of power between the two camps. This is the first time the Republican Party has led the provincial parliament in 100 years since the island was divided in 1921.

“This is a watershed moment for our politics and our people,” O’Neill said. “I will bring inclusive leadership that celebrates diversity and ensures rights and equality for those who have been excluded, discriminated against or ignored in the past,” he added.

London calls for ‘stability’

“Or not, What we want (…) is stability“We want to form an executive body” and “unite the parties to provide stability to the people,” British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Sky News.

Before meeting local leaders on Monday, British Territory Minister Brandon Lewis told the BBC it was “an important moment to show that everyone can work together”.

Negotiations, however, have proven difficult, with unionists refusing to join the Cabinet as long as the customs controls between the island and the rest of the UK, established by the Brexit agreements, persist. In the eyes of the unionists, these controls threaten the unity of the four-nation state – three (England, Scotland and Wales) located on the island of Great Britain and the other on the island of Ireland.

Understanding deadline

Dublin and Washington also called on Northern Ireland’s leaders to share power. Sinn Fein and DUP have 24 weeks to find common ground. Otherwise, new elections must be organized.

“It’s easy to imagine that everyone wants to take six months to negotiate,” said Katie Hayward, professor of political sociology at Queen’s University Belfast. “But given the urgency of the cost-of-living and healthcare crisis, it is necessary to train an executive, and then further amendments to the Good Friday agreements can be considered,” he added.

O’Neill, who has focused his campaign on economic and social issues, called on unionists for a “healthy debate” and said the new CEO’s priority should be combating the sharp rise in the cost of living. Ireland’s reunification has taken a back seat – but party leaders have made no secret that the goal is to be able to hold a popular referendum on this sensitive issue.

Katie noted that “Sinn Fein’s success is due to weak unionism in the period of great change in the UK due to Brexit, but it does not represent a fundamental change of opinion in Northern Ireland in favor of reunification” with the Republic of Ireland. Outside.

According to a survey published by the University of Liverpool in April, only 30% of Northern Irish people favor reunification of the island.

with AFP