Politics

Upper Bann: Agony for SDLP after Sinn Féin candidates edge out Dolores Kelly

Catherine Seeley, John O’Dowd and Doug Beattie all elected on Saturday evening

UPPER BANN CANDIDATES: Sydney Anderson (DUP); Doug Beattie (UUP); Jo-Anne Dobson (UUP); Roy Ferguson (TUV); Harry Hamilton (Alliance); Emma Hutchinson (NI Lab Rep); David Jones (Ukip); Dolores Kelly (SDLP); Martin Kelly (Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol); Simon Lee (Greens); Carla Lockhart (DUP); Sophie Long (PUP); Stephen McCarroll (Ind); Ian Keith Nickels (Conservatives); John O’Dowd (Sinn Féin); Kyle Savage (UUP); Catherine Seeley (Sinn Féin).

Sat May 7 2016 - 17:07

The constituency of Upper Bann was the last to be declared on Saturday evening, with Sinn Féin's Catherine Seeley and outgoing education minister John O'Dowd, along with the UUP's Doug Beattie, all being declared elected just before 5pm after the 11th count.

Three of the six MLAs were elected earlier – Carla Lockhart and Sydney Anderson of the DUP, and Jo-Ann Dobson of the UUP.

It eventually came down to a four-way fight for the final three seats, with former SDLP deputy leader Dolores Kelly losing out.

On Friday night, just as the polls closed at Upper Bann for the night, the pro-cannabis candidate Martin Kelly had his hopes of election finally extinguished. The CISTA candidate was eliminated along with PUP candidate Sophie Long

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Only two MLAs were elected in Upper Bann on Friday, both from the DUP - Ms Lockhart who topped the poll, and Ms Anderson who was elected on the second count.After some votes were recounted due to issues of verification, Ms Lockhart sailed through with 993 votes to spare.

Sinn Féin put a huge effort into getting two MLAs elected in this constituency.

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