THE completion of the count in the Northern Ireland local elections yesterday confirmed the surge in support for Sinn Fein. It gained 23 seats and increased its percentage of the vote by 4.7 per cent.
The mainstream unionist parties lost their overall council majority in Belfast and the city is expected to get its first nationalist mayor next month. Unionists also lost control of Fermanagh and two councils in Tyrone: Cookstown and Strabane.
Overall, the Ulster Unionist Party lost 12 seats and its share of the vote fell by 1.4 per cent; the SDLP went down 1.2 per cent ang lost seven seats; the Democratic Unionist Party lost 12 seats and its share of the vote fell by 1.6 per cent.
Northern Ireland's chief electoral officer, Mr Pat Bradley, said there appeared to have been an "orchestrated planned campaign" of malpractice in voting. He said he was "not at all convinced it was all onesided" and called on those who were making allegations to produce their evidence.
Both the SDLP and the UUP alleged there was widespread vote fraud. Mr John Hume said there had to be an explanation as to why Sinn Fein's vote had increased significantly while the SDLP's vote had not fallen to any great extent.
Mr Trimble said that a "thorough investigation" was needed. "There appears to have been massive electoral abuse," he told BBC Radio.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, dismissed the allegations as "a whinge". He said they were either made as part of a "negative campaign" against Sinn Fein or were the product of "a mindset which just finds it hard to come to terms with a new situation".
In Derry, Sinn Fein took three seats from the SDLP, which no longer has an overall majority on the council although it is still the largest party. Sinn Fein also took three SDLP seats in Newry and Mourne.
The loyalist parties both won seats. The Progressive Unionist Party, which is close to the Ulster Volunteer Force, went up from one to six seats. The Ulster Democratic Party, which is close to the Ulster Defence Association, went from one to four seats.
The final state of the principal parties (previous totals in brackets) was: Ulster Unionist Party 185 (197); SDLP 120 (127); DUP 91 (103); SF 74 (51); Alliance 41(44).
Sinn Fein now has 13 councillors in Belfast, the same number as the UUP. However, it is expected that the next lord mayor will be a member of the SDLP and the name of Mr Alban Maginness is figuring prominently in speculation.
Dr Chris McGimpsey of the UUP, who was reelected to Belfast City Council, ruled out discussions on this issue between his party and Sinn Fein, even in the event of an IRA ceasefire.
"There will be negotiations and discussions between ourselves and the other constitutional parties but we will not involve ourselves with Sinn Fein of course.