Third count before a seat is taken - by UUP

Fermanagh-South Tyrone: It was on the third count that the first candidate in the predominantly nationalist constituency was…

Fermanagh-South Tyrone: It was on the third count that the first candidate in the predominantly nationalist constituency was elected - the UUP's Mr Tom Elliot with 7,372 votes - the quota is 6,595 and the turnout 73 per cent.

Mr Elliot is the deputy grand master of Fermanagh District Orange Order, and strongly anti-agreement.

Though Sinn Féin MP Ms Michelle Gildernew topped the poll through the first two counts, with 6,489 first preferences and reaching 6,562 with the second count, the elimination of the UUP's Mr Robert Mulligan on the second count ensured she would not get enough transfers to seize the first seat. In fact she got just three of Mr Mulligan's transfers in the third count.

Into the fourth count, Ms Gildernew got none of the 777 surplus votes from Mr Elliot, with the majority going to fellow anti-agreement candidate and UUP colleague, Ms Arlene Foster, bringing her total poll so far to 6,564. Mr Mulligan had been the only pro-agreement Unionist candidate.

The two outgoing UUP MLAs for the constituency, Mr Sam Foster and Ms Joan Carson, who were pro-agreement, did not stand in this election.

As counting finished last night, just one seat had been taken and the SDLP's Mr Frank Britton was due to be eliminated this morning. Sinn Féin's Ms Gildernew and Thomas O'Reilly, the UUP's Ms Arlene Foster and the DUP's Mr Maurice Morrow were expected to take seats, with Mr Tommy Gallagher of the SDLP and Mr Gerard McHugh (Sinn Féin) fighting for the last seat.

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