The cross-community Alliance Party today ruled out redesignating its Assembly members as unionists to help set up a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland.
Alliance leader Mr David Ford, whose party confounded the pundits in last month's election by holding on to its six Stormont seats, moved to quash speculation that his MLAs would declare themselves as unionist to help overcome the obstacles to the setting up of an executive.
"Some commentators and politicians seem intent on continuing to speculate that Alliance will redesignate in return for some goodies like access to ministerial office," the South Antrim Assembly member said.
"I have repeatedly made clear that there are no circumstances whatsoever in which Alliance will redesignate.
"The two governments [in Dublin and London] are very well aware of our views on the matter. At least they seem to know better than to raise the issue."
Alliance members have traditionally regarded themselves as being a cross-community party. However during the last Assembly they became frustrated at the requirement for them to define themselves as cross-community.
They were angry that under Stormont's voting system, the votes of cross-community parties like themselves and the Women's Coalition were often overlooked.
The election of a First and Deputy First Minister to the Northern Ireland Executive requires 50 per cent plus one of all unionist MLAs and 50 per cent plus one of nationalists. However cross-community parties votes did not count.
In November 2001, some Alliance MLAs temporarily redesignated themselves as unionist after Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble and SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan failed to get enough unionist votes in their first bid to become First and Deputy First Ministers.
PA