LEADERS' MEETING:PETER ROBINSON and Martin McGuinness are scheduled to meet at Stormont Castle today to decide when to appoint the new Northern Executive, following hugely successful Assembly elections for the DUP and Sinn Féin.
They could decide to call a meeting of the new Assembly as early as Thursday to run the d’Hondt system of appointing 10 ministers to the Executive, based on the proportional strength of each party.
The DUP increased its representation by two seats from 36 to 38 seats, while Sinn Féin increased its number of seats from 28 to 29. Alliance won eight, gaining one, while it was a disappointing election for the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP. Turnout was 55.5 per cent.
Mr Robinson dedicated his party’s victory in the election to the memory of murdered Catholic PSNI officer Ronan Kerr. He wanted to serve his community, he said, “in the words of his mother. She wanted to ensure that people would come out and support the way forward peacefully in Northern Ireland”.
The UUP dropped from 18 to 16 seats, with the SDLP winning 14 seats compared to 16 in 2007.
The problems for the UUP were exacerbated by the controversy triggered after Mr Elliott at the Fermanagh-South Tyrone count described Sinn Féin supporters as “scum”.
As the results stand the DUP would be entitled to four ministries in the Executive, excluding the posts of First Minister and Deputy First Minister held by Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness. Sinn Féin is entitled to three ministries and the UUP, SDLP and Alliance one each. This would be a gain for Alliance, whose leader David Ford is also in line to retake the justice portfolio as an 11th member of the Executive, and a loss for the UUP.
However, were independent unionist David McClarty, who won in East Derry and who was deselected by his former UUP party, to rejoin the UUP, then the Ulster Unionists would be entitled to reclaim two ministries. In such a situation Alliance could not claim a department under d’Hondt.
The UUP is already making overtures to Mr McClarty to rejoin but so far he has refused to respond. Describing himself as a progressive unionist, Mr McClarty was critical of Mr Elliott’s comments at the Fermanagh-South Tyrone count, a factor that could have a bearing on his decision.
There is some support within the UUP and SDLP for the parties to stay out of the Executive and act as an opposition, but party insiders said last night the likelihood was they would re-enter government.
Mr McGuinness said the Assembly’s focus was to create jobs, tackle poverty and protect services.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, congratulating the MLAs, said the new Assembly “has an unprecedented opportunity to put the past even further behind us and to bring about change for good”.
After the loss of his East Belfast seat last year and the upheaval of the “Irisgate” disclosures, the election was a personal triumph for Mr Robinson, as well as his party.
Referring to his wife Iris, he said: “We discussed the campaign. She was never short on giving me advice on what I should be saying and what I should be doing with it.”