Ulster Unionist Party leader Tom Elliott tonight launched a sharp attack on Sinn Fein supporters, whom he described as “scum”, after the Assembly election results for Fermanagh-South Tyrone had been announced.
Sinn Fein supporters who were carrying the Irish tricolour at the Omagh count-centre jeered Mr Elliott after he had described it as the flag of “a foreign nation”.
Responding to the jeers, Mr Elliott said: “I would expect nothing better from the scum of Sinn Fein.
“Their counterparts in the IRA have murdered the citizens of this province for years and decades and now all that they want to do is shout down political representatives.”
Commenting afterwards, Sinn Fein Enterprise Minister Michelle Gildernew described the remarks as “pathetic”.
“I am quite sure that there are Ulster Unionist voters who are disappointed and upset at his language,” Ms Gildernew said.
Mr Elliott, who was re-elected for Fermanagh-South Tyrone on the first count, was speaking after the sixth and final count showed that Sean Lynch and Phil Flanagan had been elected for Sinn Fein.
Sinn Fein thereby gained a third seat on the last Assembly election in 2007, edging out Tommy Gallagher of the SDLP who had represented the constituency at Stormont since 1998.
One of Sinn Fein’s two MLAs from that period, Gerry McHugh, later left the party and declared himself a member of Fianna Fail.
Enterprise Minister in the outgoing Executive Arlene Foster and her running-mate Lord Maurice Morrow retained their seats for the Democratic Unionist Party.
Later at the Omagh count centre, SDLP veteran Joe Byrne regained his Northern Ireland Assembly seat in West Tyrone after an eight-year gap. He was returned on the fifth and last count following the distribution of transfers from Independents Paddy McGowan and Eugene McMenamin.
Sinn Fein retained its three seats in West Tyrone: Barry McElduff and former party vice-president Pat Doherty were both re-elected on the first count and newcomer Michaela Boyle, who was replacing outgoing MLA Claire McGill, got in on the fourth.
The DUP lost one of its two seats when Ross Hussey of the Ulster Unionist Party ousted Allan Bresland on the fifth count, which was announced just before 8pm.
There were protracted delays in the counting of votes at Omagh with reports that rainfall got into some ballot-boxes when they were being transported from the polling-stations. However, claims that the papers had to be dried with hairdryers were dismissed by informed sources.
A computer difficulty also complicated matters with officials unable to get access to figures for a period of time.