Mrs Brid Rogers was elected for the SDLP on the first count in Upper Bann with 9,260 votes. "Pro-Agreement candidates in Upper Bann got 71 per cent of the vote, which is an exact replica of the referendum vote", she commented. She said she was delighted with her own vote. "In every election over the last 10 or 12 years we have increased our vote. It's up from 7,000 to over 12,000. I'm still hoping there is a possibility of bringing my running mate in."
There were predictions earlier in the day that Mr Trimble might not top the poll, but these were confounded when the first count was announced at about 4.30 p.m. He had a decisive victory with 12,338 first preference votes, more than 5,000 above the quota.
However, his three party colleagues fared badly. garnering only 2,221 votes between them. Mr Denis Watson, an executive member of the party, deputy Grand Master of the Orange Lodge and opponent of the Belfast Agreement, who ran as a United Unionist, came in third with 4,855 first preferences.
The DUP looked certain of a seat, and Sinn Fein also had a quota between its two candidates.
The count was slower in Newry and Armagh constituency, which recorded a 77 per cent turnout. Predictably, the SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, headed the poll with 13,582 votes - almost two quotas.
"It was a very good result personally, but I would have preferred to have had fewer first preference votes. We did everything we could. There are 9,000 votes to be transferred almost immediately, so there is still a lot to be played for," he said.
Sinn Fein's vote management was far better, with all three of its candidates recording between 4,500 and 5,000 first preferences.
Mr Mallon was optimistic about the future despite the high vote for unionists opposed to the Agreement. "We always knew it was going to be a difficult Assembly," he said.
"But there is no doubt that there will be a sufficient number of pro-Agreement people to make it work. The electorate themselves will be demanding it delivers in social and economic terms."
At 11.30 p.m, the youthful gospel singer and political neophyte, 22-year-old Mr Paul Berry was elected for the DUP in Newry and Armagh.
The result in Mid-Ulster was declared shortly after 10 p.m. with three Sinn Fein candidates elected - Mr Martin McGuinness, Mr Francie Molloy and Mr John Kelly - in addition to Mr Denis Haughey of the SDLP, Rev Willie McCrea of the DUP and Mr Billy Armstrong of the Ulster Unionist Party.
After his election, Mr McGuinness said the result was "an emphatic endorsement of Sinn Fein's peace strategy". This would mean that Sinn Fein would serve on the executive of the Assembly.